Oil and Water
by Lil' Dinky
Summary: Sequel to Mystic Moon Vacation. Van and Hitomi finally get married, but what happens after the wedding? Will Dryden ever convince Millerna that he's the man for her? Will Gaea survive Annie? Will Allen? Non-serious, hopefully funny fluff! VxH, DxM, AxA!
1. Final Countdown

**Final Countdown  
**

**AN: **_Hello! Welcome to "Oil and Water" (yeah, I know, lame title- I suck at titles!). This is a sequel to "Mystic Moon Vacation" (again, yeesh- LAME title), and it's going to be written in the same style as that story. Easy going, hopefully funny at times, normal relationship stuff. Nope, no wars, no kidnappings, no evil schemers hiding in the wings to destroy everything. Just straightforward "how does this marriage thing work?" fun with Van and Hitomi, awkward figuring out each other's emotions for other couples... which does imply that there will probably be a bit more lime to this story than MMV. I mean, they ARE going to be married, after all. _

_So, to start off- Hitomi is about to leave for Gaea to marry Van. Of course, the high-ups in Fanelia have had a month to plan things... and you can imagine how it's gotten out of hand (at least in Van's perspective). So... the first thing Hitomi has to do is survive that- and without Annie, who stubbornly insists it would be bad news all around if she were to go to Gaea. _

_Let's start the fun, shall we?_

_

* * *

_Hitomi pulled awake with a slow, heart-wrenching sigh. Every single time she had to leave Van behind in that misty, blurry dream-world, where they could see but never touch, it just got so much harder. It didn't matter that the only things they really talked about were frantic, last minute details, or the newest addition to the frighteningly out of control marriage ceremony itself. Hitomi could sense that Van ached as badly as she did to be able to wrap their arms around each other for reassurance that they would actually survive the ridiculous wedding being forced on them by the entire country of Fanelia. In fact, by the entire population of Gaea. From what Hitomi could decipher from Van's cryptic mutterings, it seemed like the entire world had gone into spasms of celebration as soon as word had leaked out that she was coming back to Fanelia. "Biggest Wedding in Gaea's History" didn't even begin to describe it. Another sigh dredged straight from her toes escaped her lips as she scowled up at the ceiling of her childhood bedroom.

Only one day left. One day to spend with her family. Had it already been two weeks since she and Annie had gotten to Japan?

"That didn't sound like a good sigh," came a muffled voice from the floor next to her bed. Hitomi rolled over to lean her head over the edge.

"Morning, Annie," she unenthusiastically greeted the lump of blankets balled up on the futon mattress. The blankets shifted a little, but the tousled brown hair stayed tucked out of sight.

"What now? Did they add another day to the ceremony?"

"Not yet, although Van's still trying to talk them down to three days instead of five," Hitomi answered morosely.

"Maybe Van should tell them that the stress is going to put a strain on your childbearing capacity. I bet that would get them to tone things down a bit," Annie said thoughtfully, her face finally emerging from her cocoon.

Hitomi laughed suddenly, the sound ringing out happily in her childhood room. "Oh, man! Can you just imagine Van trying to say 'childbearing capacity' to anyone?"

"Yep. He'd be glowing like a stoplight," Annie chirped with a grin. "That'd be half the fun of it."

"Oh, Annie," Hitomi giggled. "Why can't you come with me to Gaea? At least just to get me through this wedding?"

Annie stared hard at the ceiling. "Tomi, we've been over this way too many times. You and I both know that'd just be a disaster waiting to happen. And you're going to be so busy, you won't have time to wish I was there. Besides, what if that light-thingie doesn't work right? You and Van can work it, sure. But what if you're just trying to send someone else? And anyway, I've already bought my ticket, and the flight's right after you leave."

"Yeah, I know. It'd just be easier if you were there," Hitomi muttered, punching her pillow with a scowl. Annie ignored that, studying the flat white ceiling like it was the Mona Lisa.

"So," she finally piped up cheerfully. "It's your last day here. What are your plans?"

"I don't know."

"Ooh-kaaaay. How about starting with a long, hot bath?" Annie suggested carefully. The bed creaked slightly as Hitomi dragged herself to her feet with a sigh.

"Yeah, a bath sounds good," she said half-heartedly. She paused at the door, her eyes scanning the room. "It's all just so wierd, Annie. I mean, I'm sad, and scared, and there's a part of me that doesn't want to leave. But really, deep down, I feel like I'll die if I never see him again. And I just can't help but feel really happy that after tomorrow we'll finally be together. It's really confusing."

Annie sat up and smiled at her. "It's okay to be happy, you know. It's not going to hurt anyone if you're excited. Nobody wants to see you sad, Tomi. Just go with whatever you feel, alright?"

"You make everything sound so easy," Hitomi replied, rolling her eyes but grinning as she walked out of the room and shut the door quietly behind her.

_Easy?_ Annie flopped onto her back in a jumble of blankets, her smile turning into a grimace. None of this was easy. All the planning, the organizing, the endless preparations- all with a smile and a laugh and quick encouragement whenever Hitomi started to get overwhelmed- not a single bit of that was easy. Tomorrow, she would send her off with a big smile, and no one would ever know how much she was dreading the long, lonely flight back to her empty, silent house.

Although, she couldn't silence the irritating thought that Allen Schezar would have known it. The man had an annoying habit of seeing right through her fake smiles.

Annie squeezed her eyes shut hard, the glow of the white ceiling imprinted behind her truth was, she _had_ thought about going to Gaea with Hitomi. But leaving after the wedding would be even harder, and staying there with her was just not an option. Hitomi had Van, and once she settled in, she wouldn't really need anyone else. But she, Annie, didn't have a knight in shining armor waiting in the wings to give her enough of a reason to leave everything behind. She giggled to herself over her ridiculous thoughts. She _did_ know one Knight, but Allen- Allen of all people- was the last person she could imagine professing his undying love for her. The very thought of it made her stuff her face into her pillow to muffle the laughter.

Honestly, the man was so full of himself and his stupid chivalrous ideas that Annie really couldn't figure out why she missed him at all. And if the alarming frequency of him marching through her thoughts was any indication, she actually missed him a lot. It was vaguely disturbing.

Annie shook her head to clear it of any self-pity as she swiftly made both of their beds and went downstairs to meet Hitomi's family. Tomorrow she could wallow in as much misery as she wanted to, but not today. Today, the last day she'd be with the closest friend she'd ever known, was going to be happy.

Hitomi let the hot water relax away the tension in her shoulders, taking her time shampooing her hair. This might be the second to last shower she ever got to take, since they apparently didn't exist on Gaea. Although, considering how much Van had liked them, maybe Fanelia would be the first to install them. She giggled to herself, remembering how he'd sheepishly admitted that showers were one of the things he missed the most from the Mystic Moon- besides herself, of course.

Eventually, she had to get out of the water or risk turning into a raisin. Wrapping herself in a towel, she wiped the fog off the mirror and stared at herself critically.

"You look more like a drowned cat than a queen," she griped at her reflection. She pulled a face and toweled off with more energy than necessary, refusing to let her thoughts wander down that dangerous direction again. Every time she started to wonder why Van, perfect, beautiful, royal, _mature_ Van, would want someone like her, she started to hyperventilate. He ran a country, for God's sake. She could barely keep her homework organized.

Oh, well. As long as he wanted her, she was his. Just the thought of feeling his hands on her skin again made her tingle, and tomorrow morning felt too many hours away. And yet, the realization that she had less than a day left on Earth set off a flutter of panic in her stomach.

Her plans for the day were simple. Nothing. She didn't want to do anything out of the ordinary, except for spending the whole day with her family and Annie. Maybe they'd go wander some shops for a while- she knew how different the markets on Gaea were- maybe watch a movie or play some video games with her brother, cook a fancy supper, anything as long as they all did it together. Everything she was taking with her was already packed and waiting: her small bag of treasures, a few photo albums, the kimono her mother had worn at her parent's wedding- altered and ready for her to wear. Hitomi brushed away the two tears that leaked from under her eyelids when she remembered how her mother had smiled through her tears when she saw her in it. And then she laughed remembering Annie's obi-tying lesson.

She bounced down the stairs and into the kitchen where her entire family was gathered with a grin on her face.

"Morning, everyone!" she called, and smiled even wider at their happy greetings.

* * *

Van made his way carefully through the crowded hallways of his usually serene castle, deftly dodging frantic maids, over-worked servants, and the occasional council member as he headed towards his private study. Fanelia had always had a more relaxed approach to it's royalty than most countries, but today he hardly got a deferential nod at all. Maybe it was simply because there were too many people crawling all over the palace. Maybe they were all just too busy to notice anything but their own tasks. Whatever the reason, he enjoyed it, since he knew it was hardly going to last.

Final preparations were in full swing, and the entire city was cleaning itself up to be presentable to it's future queen. Van could almost taste the excitement permeating the air, it was so strong.

He flopped himself down in the chair behind his desk, running his calloused hands through his wild, black hair as he let out his pent-up breath. There was still so much to be done, but since everything was being planned and organized by his council and countless others, he had an unfortunate amount of free time on his hands and no idea what to do with it. Every place he'd went to try to lend a hand, he'd been very politely and formally shooed away. Van muttered angrily under his breath and cracked his knuckles. Did they _want_ to drive him crazy by making this final, everlasting day seem even longer?

Not even Merle was around to distract him. No, _she_ was too busy scampering around the castle making sure everything was getting done. Van growled in frustration just thinking about the cat. Half of this was her fault. If she hadn't gone crazy finding out every little bit about traditional Fanelian marriage ceremonies and dropping hints to the council behind his back, things wouldn't be quite as wild as they were now.

A knock on the door made him straighten his spine and yank a pile of documents in front of himself in an attempt to look busy.

"Enter," he snapped in a suitably disinterested voice. He had to surpress a groan when a council member, one of the men mainly responsible for how monsterously over the top this marriage ceremony was getting, walked in and made a formal bow.

"My Lord King," he began, "I know that you've requested no special recognition of your Lady's arrival tomorrow, but the council members feel something is in order. It would be very simple to arrange a formal escort through the city, a parade of sorts-"

"No!" Van interupted swiftly, barely managing to keep his voice pleasantly normal instead of a panicked shout. He may not have been able to stop the council from planning a ridiculous wedding, but he could at least protect Hitomi from this. "Lady Hitomi isn't used to that kind of thing. She'll need some time to adjust. No parades. No formal escort. I will be meeting her alone, as planned."

"But, my Lord! Surely something... a banquet for the evening meal, perhaps?" the councilman stuttered, and Van could sense that he wasn't going to take 'nothing' for an acceptable answer.

"Alright. A banquet, then. But keep it _small_."

"Of course, my King," the man replied with a smile, bowing again before quickly exiting the room. Van allowed himself to groan loudly now, resting his elbows on his desk and pressing his fists into his temples. _Small_, ha. Words like that apparently had no meaning whatsoever to anyone in Fanelia at the moment.

At least he'd managed to cancel the parade.

* * *

The sun had long since set when Allen finally walked through the door of his family home. He was tired, bone-weary from the past week of preparations for the trip to Fanelia. Somehow, being a Knight Caeli, he supposed, he'd ended up in charge of overseeing the princesses' safety during the grand wedding, which also included making their travel plans for security's sake. Allen knew he was probably going a bit overboard with all his precautions, but with the last two heirs to the Aston bloodline traveling together, it would be downright stupid to take any risks.

He heaved a giant sigh and moved his tired feet towards the sitting room where Celena spent most of her time. There really wasn't much more planning to do. Hitomi would be arriving sometime tomorrow, and he would be escorting the Austurian princesses to Fanelia in a week. It would be good to see Hitomi again.

Allen firmly stamped down the little, niggling hope that perhaps he'd see a certain brown-haired someone again, too, as Celena looked up and greeted him quietly. It was a stupid thought, a useless hope, and it really shouldn't matter to him if he saw Annie again, anyway.

But it did matter, even though he couldn't figure out why. And he couldn't quite kill the tiny, whispering wish that somehow she'd be there to laugh at him in Fanelia.

"Did you have a good day, Celena?" Allen asked gently as he sat down next to her on the small sofa. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the nursemaid he'd put in charge of his sister's wellbeing steal silently out of the room. Celena watched her go with a stony face, and Allen sighed again. He knew Celena didn't like the woman, and he really couldn't blame her. As soon as possible, he would have to look for a better replacement. Someone who wouldn't treat his sister with such condescending pity.

"Tell me a story about the Mystic Moon," Celena pleaded suddenly, bringing Allen's thoughts back to the present. He groaned silently, eyeing the dreaded picture book lying innocently across his sister's lap. If it wasn't the only thing that made Celena smile, he would've burned the damn thing. It was still a source of daily jokes among the crew of the Crusade.

"What do you want to hear?" he asked with forced cheerfulness through the clenched teeth of his strained smile. Celena seemed oblivious to his irritation as she flipped through the familiar pictures.

"This one," she declared, pointing at the picture of him glaring murderously at Annie's back as they decorated the Christmas tree. Allen heaved a sigh. Great. _That_ one again. Dredging up all these stories day after day was grating on him. And it wasn't helping him forget about Annie, either. At least she wasn't asking any more questions about mistletoe.

Celena turned to him with wide, begging eyes. "Please?"

Wonderful. Attacked by the secret weapon.

"Of course, Celena. Anything you want."

* * *

Hitomi woke groggily to the sensation that someone was forcefully trying to pry her out of her blankets and dump her onto the floor.

"Wake _up_. C'mon, Tomi! You're gonna be late, and then Van's gonna think you changed your mind and go back to Fanelia broken-hearted!"

Hitomi sat bolt upright in terror at Annie's frustrated exclaimation, scrambling for her alarm clock.

"What time is it?" she shrieked frantically. "He won't leave without me, will he, Annie?"

The brown haired girl laughed. "Relax. It's only 8 o'clock."

"It's... only eight..." Hitomi spluttered, frantically staring at the numbers on the small white clock in her hand. For an instant, pure relief flooded her face before she scowled fiercely and chucked the clock at Annie. "Jeez, did you have to give me a heart attack? I'm meeting Van at noon, remember?"

"Yeah, I knew that. But you'd hate yourself for sleeping through your last morning on Earth, and you were pretty dead out. Guess I used a bit too much..." Annie trailed off, mumbling to herself under her breath as Hitomi strained to catch her last sentence.

"Used a bit too much what?" she asked, confused. Annie's smile was a little too innocent, and suddenly her grogginess and the heavy, sound sleep she'd gotten last night made perfect sense.

"You _drugged_ me!"

Annie shrugged lightly, completely unapologetic. "You slept great, didn't you? You couldn't leave for Gaea today looking like a zombie, you know."

Hitomi glared at her. Okay, so she'd admit that Annie had a point. Things were going to be difficult enough today without the added complication of exhaustion. The corners of her mouth hiked up into a tiny smile.

The smile Annie gave her in return was like a beam of sunshine. "Okay, your mom's making this huge breakfast that smells crazy delicious, but no one gets to eat anything until you get downstairs. So..."

"You woke me up just so you can eat breakfast?" Hitomi demanded, but the irritation she meant to exude was completely ruined by her laughter.

"You have no idea how good it smells. And I'm so _hungry_," Annie groaned. "Please, please, get your butt moving so we can eat, Tomi!"

Hitomi flopped back onto the bed, weak with laughter. Only Annie could take a morning like this, _the _morning, and turn it into something completely normal and commonplace. As if breakfast was the most important thing on the schedule for the day. She was eternally grateful for that.

"Alright, alright. Let's go eat," she finally chuckled, grinning as she let Annie drag her out of bed with a whoop of victory.

The morning past by quickly, lighthearted and happy mostly thanks to Annie's influence. Hitomi immersed herself in the warmth of her family, the brief hugs from her father, the way her mother smoothed her hair, the teasing jabs from her brother, and Annie's playful jokes, wanting to hang on to her last brief moments with them as long as she could. Time has a way of moving too quickly when it should be standing still, though, and it felt like mere seconds until she was standing near the shrine where she'd first met Van, waiting for him to appear.

"Now you're sure you've got everything you need?" her mother said gently, her voice barely above a whisper in the still, quiet February air. Her hand fluttered over Hitomi's honey-colored hair again, smoothing it for the millionth time.

"I think so," Hitomi breathed. Her chest felt constricted, like someone had wrapped iron bands around it. She was so torn between anxious exhilaration and desperate sorrow that it was impossible for her to stand still. Her eyes flickered from the cloudless, brillant sky to the faces of her family and back to the sky again. Next to her, Annie silently took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, quietly reassuring her.

"He'll come, Tomi," she whispered. "It's not quite noon yet. He'll come."

Hitomi glanced at her, lips pursed, before looking back up to the sky. She took a deep, shuddering breath and nodded, relaxing just a miniscule amount. Her mother wrapped an arm snugly around her shoulders as her father came to stand behind them, one hand resting gently on her head. Her brother kept his hands shoved deeply into his pockets, but he stood as close to the little group as was comfortable for a teenager to get.

They all waited, watching the sky silently.

* * *

Van watched the sun creep it's slow way towards noon anxiously. It took a lot of effort not to pace around the small glade where his family and Escaflowne rested, but somehow he managed it. His thoughts were a completely different matter. They veered in multiple directions so chaotically that he was having a hard time keeping up with himself.

What if Hitomi wasn't there, waiting for him? What if he'd gotten the time and day wrong? What if her parents decided they didn't like him when they saw him and refused to let her leave with him? What if he tried to call the pillar of light and it didn't work?

Or, worst of all, what if Hitomi was there, but she'd changed her mind? What if _she_ refused to come back with him?

But what if she did come back with him, and changed her mind later? What if he was really terrible at the whole marriage thing? He grimaced, the memories of just how bad he truly was at being romantic very clear in his memory. Hitomi was some sort of saint for putting up with his inept bumbling.

The sun finally reached it's peak, and Van took a deep breath to steady himself. With an effort, he thrust aside his worries and focused, gripping the pendant tightly. The electric charge in the air felt almost familiar as the light gathered around him. His feet lifted slowly off the ground, rising faster and faster until he disappeared from the Gaean sky.

Only a scant few seconds passed before he stood on solid ground again, blinking at the sudden dimness and momentary disorientation. The first thing he saw was Hitomi, surrounded by her family as they clung to her. His heart stopped for a brief second, wondering if his worst fear was about to come true. Then her eyes met his, and her face lit up into a brilliant smile, and suddenly everything was perfect.

"Hitomi..." he breathed, overwhelmed by an unexpected wave of profound relief.

"Van! You came!" Hitomi blurted out as she broke free from her family to run into his waiting arms. Annie rolled her eyes.

"You two are seriously hopeless," she sighed, shaking her head in exasperation.

Ignoring the sheepish blush spreading across both their faces, Hitomi took Van's hand and led him over to her family. For a brief moment, Van had the childish desire to dig his heels into the frozen ground and refuse to move forward, but Hitomi's parents smiled so warmly at him that all his worries vanished.

"Mom, Dad, this is Van Fanel," she introduced them with an anxious smile.

"Obviously," her brother snorted with a roll of his eyes. He grinned as Hitomi punched him on the arm. Their parents ignored them and greeted Van politely.

Annie stood slightly off to one side, doing her best to be quietly unobtrusive. Once the introductions were over and Hitomi and her family started to say their goodbyes, Van moved to stand next to her.

"Hello, Annie," he greeted quietly, both of them still watching the little family.

"'Sup, Van?" she returned cheerfully. "How'd you like my wedding present?"

Abruptly, he flamed scarlet and cleared his throat. "It was... very educational," he mumbled. Annie laughed and he searched desperately for something to distract her.

"Are you absolutely certain you don't want to come to Gaea with Hitomi? At least for the ceremony?"

Annie sighed. "Yep, I'm sure. Besides, don't you think things'll go a lot smoother if I'm not around to mess stuff up?"

"Well..." Van hesitated, mentally scrambling to figure out just how badly things could go.

"You see? I've worked too hard to get the two of you married to wreck things now."

As they watched, Hitomi finally pulled away from her family's embraces, wiping her eyes on the back of her sleeves. Van sensed Annie stiffening next to him as Hitomi came towards them, and he briefly wondered how difficult it was for her to keep that cheerful grin on her face.

"Annie, I'm going to miss you so much," Hitomi whispered as the two girls hugged tightly. Fat tears rolled down her cheeks as she struggled to keep a wobbly smile on her face. After a few seconds, Annie wormed her way out of the hug and wrinkled her nose playfully.

Hitomi gave a watery laugh. "Sorry. I know you hate sappy goodbyes."

"I'm just worried you're going to drip snot on me," she replied, still smiling easily, like Hitomi was just leaving on a short trip instead of possibly disappearing from Earth forever. Hitomi rolled her eyes and hugged her again.

"Thank you, Annie. So much. For everthing," she said earnestly.

"You're welcome, Tomi. Although I should be thanking _you_. Promise me you'll be happy, no matter what, okay?" Annie replied, her voice muffled by Hitomi's shoulder.

"I promise. You be happy, too," Hitomi whispered, tears once again rolling down her cheeks. There was a brief pause before Annie broke free once more.

"That better just be tears on my coat. I don't want to fly all the way back to the States with boogey-crusties on my shoulder."

Hitomi laughed for real this time, and her family moved to join them, handing over the few belongings she was taking with her to Gaea. Hitomi was once again enveloped in her mother's tender embrace as both of them cried together.

"Take care of my daughter," her father said gruffly as he shook Van's hand with a firm grip.

"I'll do my best to make her happy, sir. I swear it," Van returned solemnly. Annie's quick hug squeezed the air out of his lungs.

"Just remember to relax and have fun sometimes," she told him seriously. He nodded slightly, and she winked at him. "If you ever manage to figure out page 65, you'd better find a way to tell me!"

"Page 65?" Hitomi asked, wiping away her tears as she took Van's hand and studied the red blush creeping over the tips of his ears.

"Don't worry about it. Van'll show you later. Right, Van?" Annie laughed, grinning her big shark grin at him. He glared at her before turning to look down at Hitomi.

"Ready?" he asked quietly, his voice gentle. He didn't want to rush her through her painful goodbyes, but every second they spent here was one more second that she could change her mind.

Hitomi bit her lip and nodded, trying to give him a wobbly smile. "Yeah, I'm ready. Let's go."

Van's warm hand firmly gripping her own steadied her as her family backed away several paces. She knew she'd never forget the way her mother leaned into her father for support, the way her brother tried to smile at her, how Annie stood just a little bit away from the small group, all alone. It tore at her heart, but a gentle squeeze from Van's hand kept her together.

"I love you!" she called out to them as the electric, blue light exploded around them. She clung tightly to Van as they drifted up and away from her past life towards their future.

Annie stared up at the forms of Van and Hitomi, rapidly getting smaller and smaller as the pillar of light pulled them higher into the sky. She caught her breath at the stabbing sensation in her chest, biting her lips together hard to keep from whimpering. It was harder than she expected, watching Hitomi leave. A little part of her screamed in the back of her mind that she wished things could have been different.

She was concentrating too hard in that brief moment before Hitomi disappeared from Earth to notice the tingling currents of electricity running up and down her skin like feathers. She was so focused that the blinding, pulsing blue light suddenly flashing around her caught her completely off guard. She staggered, shielding her eyes, and that brief moment of panic cost her everything. Her feet scrambled for solid ground, and her hands reached uselessly for something to grab onto as she was pulled irresistably up towards the sky.

"Shit! Not me! _Not me!_" she shrieked, struggling futilely to break free. By the time Hitomi's family registered her strangled cry, it was already far too late. Her brother's hand missed by more than a meter when he lunged after her. Absurdly, Annie kicked her legs and swung her arms like she was trying to swim back down the light towards Earth.

"Put me back! I don't _wanna _go to Gaea!" she demanded with an angry shout, and she could almost hear Fate chuckling darkly at her. She could have screamed in frustration as Hitomi's family dwindled swiftly, helplessly, beneath her. Their shocked, confused faces were the last thing she saw before the light swept her away into the endless blue of the sky.

* * *

**AN: **_Yeah, I know. Not a very interesting start. Sorry. Next chapter will be less boring, I promise. Hang in there, please!! Thanks for reading!_


	2. Over the Rainbow

**Over the Rainbow**

**AN: **_Chapter two is here!! **Thank you so much** to everyone who read and reviewed the first chapter. It truly motivates me to get the next chapter up just that much sooner! I hope I replied to you all... if not please send a flying monkey to smack me up. Thanks, and I hope you enjoy this chapter! _

_**Somewhere over the rainbow  
Skies are blue  
And the dreams that you dare to dream  
Really do come true**_

The first thing Hitomi saw when the light disappeared was Escaflowne's silent, still form kneeling in the grass. Van's warm, rough hand was still wrapped tightly around her own, and she felt him give it a gentle squeeze. She was grateful that he didn't say anything or try to make her move yet. She wasn't ready to do anything but stare straight ahead.

Slowly, very, very, slowly, she raised her head to find the faint outline of the Mystic Moon hanging above them in the sky. Oh, god. She was truly back. There was no question about it: this was Gaea.

And this time she wasn't going back to Earth.

She started crying again. She couldn't seem to help it. She could still see her family, all huddled together, in her mind. And she could still see Annie standing there, all alone, and it tore at her heart. The tears poured in a torrent down her cheeks, and she didn't bother to try to wipe them away.

Suddenly, Van's arms were around her, holding her gently, securely, and she sobbed into his chest. His warmth made the pain better somehow, and she wrapped her arms around his waist to draw him even closer. He was the reason why she'd left, after all. It only made sense that he would help ease the aching in her chest.

When she'd cried herself dry and soaked Van's shirt completely, she pulled back slightly, sniffling.

"Sorry, Van. I'm done now, really," she whispered hoarsely, hoping that he wouldn't start thinking she was regretting her decision.

"It's okay, Hitomi. Take your time," he replied, smoothing a few strands of hair from her tear-stained face with calloused fingers. The gentle concern in his voice would have brought tears to her eyes if she hadn't already cried all of them out. She settled for a deep, cleansing sigh instead.

"Where's Merle? I thought she would've pounced on you the minute we got here," she murmured.

"I asked her to stay at the palace," Van replied quietly, shifting a little awkwardly. "I thought you might want some time to adjust before you had to see anybody else."

Hitomi pulled away enough for him to see the smile radiating with gratitude on her face. "I love you so much, Van."

She had to remind herself that he really wasn't very good at things like this when he stared at her for several seconds with a look of adorable, ecstatic surprise.

"I love_ you,_" he finally replied, right before she leaned up to kiss him deeply. They took their time about it, making up for a month of lost time under the shadow of the majestic guymelef.

It was much, much later when Hitomi finally sighed, "I suppose we can't just run away and elope, huh?"

"I don't think we'd get very far," Van answered, grimacing.

"Probably not. So, how long can we stay here before they send out a search party for us?"

"As long as we're there in time for the banquet, we should be safe," he answered unthinkingly, too busy enjoying the silky feeling of her skin under his fingers to really consider what he was saying. He cursed himself mentally when Hitomi pulled away from him, green eyes wide. He had been planning to let her know about the banquet gently, not drop it in her lap like he'd just done.

"In time for the what?" she demanded in a squeaky voice. "You didn't tell me about a banquet!"

"They just decided it today," Van said apologetically. "I did manage to stop the parade."

"A _parade_?" Hitomi turned pale and buried her face in her hands. "This is going to be way harder than I thought, isn't it?"

"It'll be fine, really," Van soothed her gently. "All you have to do is smile and nod once in a while. In a couple of weeks it'll all be over."

Hitomi buried her head in his shoulder, laughing weakly. "A couple of weeks? You'd better be grateful I love you so much, or I'd never go through this."

"Oh, I am. I am," he assured her fervently, and his lips found hers to show her just how true his words were. Her bones turned to pudding, and suddenly everything seemed laughably easy compared to what she was willing to go through for him.

"Okay. Bring on the banquet. I can handle anything you Fanelians throw at me."

Van squinted up at the sun for a moment. "I think we've got a little more time before we'll be needed at the castle."

"Even better," Hitomi sighed, and she reached up for another bone-melting kiss.

* * *

The preparations on the Crusade were nearly finished. Allen scrutinized his crew's handiwork as he and Gaddess carefully looked the ship over for any missed details. Since the Crusade was to be the head of the air formation, escorting the princesses' much larger leviship on it's trip to Fanelia, everything must run smoothly, perfectly.

"Hey, Boss! Look at that," Gaddes exclaimed, pointing in the direction of Fanelia. Allen turned and caught a glimpse of a far away blue streak of light.

"Seems like the little lady's really back, then," Kio called from above them where he was strapped into a harness checking over the Crusade's wings. A small smile tugged at the corners of Allen's mouth as he watched the slender blue light disappate back into the clouds. He stood for a moment longer, staring into the distance, tamping down the ridiculous wish that Annie would've been in that light, too, before turning back to his leviship with a sigh.

Suddenly, his shadow was sharp and dark against the side of the Crusade like a bolt of lightening had hit the ground behind him. Only, unlike lightening, the bright, blue light didn't fade. Allen wheeled around quickly, the startled shouts from his crew and Gaddes' muffled cursing barely registering in his ears.

A light pillar! Here, only a little over a hundred paces away! What had happened? Had Hitomi and Van somehow become separated? Allen squinted and strained, fighting to see through the agonizing glare to make out the shadowy figure hurtling towards the ground.

Whoever it was landed with a hard thump in the tall grass, effectively hidden from the crew. There was a long moment of stunned silence; Allen was fairly certain that nobody even took a breath.

"Ooooh. Ouch," the mystery person groaned loudly, and Allen unexpectedly found himself running forward, Gaddes close at his heels.

_He knew that voice_.

The sounds of the crew scrambling after them pounded loud in his ears. It _couldn't _be. There was no way it could be who he thought...

But it was. It was her brown hair tied back into that messy half-ponytail, half-bun. It was definitely her musical voice grumbling to herself. And that petite figure was totally, unmistakably hers. Allen slid to an abrupt halt about fifteen feet away from her, causing Gaddes to narrowly avoid slamming into him. She stood up slowly, completely unaware of the shocked group behind her as she dusted herself off.

"Well, this is just _fabulous_," she muttered furiously, squinting up at the faint outline of the Mystic Moon in the bright, cloudless sky. Allen had to swallow a few times before he could make his voice work again.

"_Annie?_" he finally choked out, forcing the words through his numb lips.

She jumped and spun around so quickly she had to catch herself from falling over. For a moment, she gaped at him, her mouth formed into a perfect O as she blinked rapidly.

"_Allen?_" she exclaimed, her voice climbing several octaves. Her face puckered in consternation. "Wait- where _am_ I?"

Allen did his best to sound calm and soothing. "You're on Gaea, Annie."

For a moment, Annie's face was completely dumbfounded as she stared back at him. Then she scowled darkly with an expression of utter exasperation.

"Well, no shit, Captain Obvious! I meant _where_."

Allen could feel the tips of his ears flaming red at the muffled snickering from behind him. Gaddes hid his grin behind an unconvincing bout of coughing as Annie continued to glare at him, hands on her hips.

"Yes, of course," Allen corrected smoothly, forcing a calm, nuetral mask onto his face and willing the blush to stay in his ears. "You are just outside of the city limits of Palas, Asturia's capital."

"Asturia?" Annie whispered in a half-shriek. Her face paled to a deathly, chalky white, and Allen could feel the crew behind him bracing themselves for a feminine outburst of hysterics. Color flooded abruptly back into her cheeks, and she balled her hands into tight fists. She screwed her face up into the strangest grimace, and Allen wondered briefly if she really was going to burst into tears.

Then she opened her mouth and let out a long string of cursing so violent it made the ears of the most hardened crew member burn. Allen couldn't even recognize half of what was coming out of her mouth.

"_Annie_!" he exclaimed after a moment of stunned shock. She snapped her mouth shut but ignored him as she flung the small bag she was carrying on her shoulder to the ground and started dumping things out of it. The men shifted, looking at each other with raised eyebrows and dumbfounded expressions.

Allen moved cautiously toward her. "What is going on?"

"_Wait!_ Can't... breathe..." she wheezed angrily in reply. Worried now, he knelt down beside her as she finally yanked out her inhaler and took two deep, long puffs. After several tense minutes, her breathing became noticeably easier, and she scowled darkly up at the barely-visible Mystic Moon.

"What happened?" Allen ventured carefully once her wheezing had nearly stopped.

"_How the hell should I know?_" she demanded in a shriek, waving her arms wildly. "One minute I'm waving goodbye, and the next I'm doing a belly flop onto another planet! Which kind of hurt, by the way. _This totally sucks!_"

Allen dodged her flailing arms, a confused frown wrinkling his smooth face. "Waving goodbye? You mean you didn't just get separated from Van and Hitomi?"

"I'm _supposed_ to be separated from them! I'm supposed to be on a completely different world from them right now!"

"So, you weren't trying to come to Gaea at all?" Allen clarified, ignoring Gaddes and his crew leaning in for a closer look at the irate girl now shoving her things back into her small bag with more force than necessary.

She stopped long enough to give him a shriveling look. "_No_. This was _not_ part of the plan. Dammit! What the hell do I do _now?_"

That was a good question. Allen thought hard, doing his best to blot out the murmurs from the crew behind him. Annie seemed too worked up to notice or care about the small crowd of men giving her appraising looks. Allen was torn between snickering and groaning when he sporadically caught a few muffled words. It seemed that her shocking language had impressed them. Even the rough-talking bar wenches couldn't compete with Annie. Allen shook his head.

"I think the best thing to do is get you to Fanelia," he announced, more firmly than he felt.

Annie stared at him with a look that spoke volumes of barely contained irritation. "Fanelia. And how far away from here is that?"

"About two day's journey. It's the only option. Van and Hitomi are the only people capable of calling a pillar of light," he stated defensively when she flung her hands up in thunderous exasperation.

"_Two days_. Well, shit. There goes my non-refundable plane ticket," she muttered furiously. Scowling, she stripped off her winter coat and heavy sweater, leaving herself in just her jeans and tight, grey tank top. Allen had to clench his hands into fists to resist the momentary urge to wrap her coat tightly around her again. He told himself firmly that it wasn't because he knew every man in his crew was jostling to get an eyeful. He just didn't think she realized how much cleavage she was showing. And the words "Farm Fresh Melons" emblazoned across her chest in bright red letters weren't helping.

Annie was either completely oblivious or totally unconcerned with their reactions as she scooped up her things and turned to face the crew with a hearty attempt at a smile.

"Hi! Who're you guys?"

All of them responded at once in an excited, eager babble until Allen cut across them loudly.

"These are my crewmen. My second-in-command, Gaddes." he said, introducing them. Annie reached out and shook Gaddes' hand before he had time to respond.

"The crew of the Crusade, right? Nice to meet all of you," she chirped, grinning at them before turning back to Allen. "Okay, then. How do I get to Fanelia?"

"We'll be taking you in the Crusade, of course," he replied evenly. "We had already planned to be leaving for Fanelia at the end of the week."

"The end of the week? No way!" she exclaimed in horror. "How do I find a ship that's leaving today?"

Allen folded his arms tightly across his chest and frowned heavily at her. "Annie, you are gravely mistaken if you think I'm going to let you leave on any ship but the Crusade."

"You're the mistaken one if you think I'm going to sit around twiddling my thumbs for a week. I can take care of myself." she returned hotly, hands on her hips as the crew looked on with interest. Allen had some very serious doubts about that, especially considering the way she was dressed.

"Maybe I'm more worried about the damage you might cause if I let you loose on Gaea," he stated seriously, arching an eyebrow. "It might start a war if the new Queen of Fanelia's closest friend goes missing because a Caeli Knight of Asturia failed to protect her."

"Oh, now that's just ridiculous and you know it, Al. Tomi would never blame you for my stupidity," she snorted, and then caught herself with a sheepish grimace. "Except that it's not stupidity."

Allen couldn't help giving a tiny smirk as Annie glowered at him. She glanced from the crew to his set face and threw up her hands in exasperation.

"Oh, fine. Have it your way, since I can't really do anything but go along with you, anyway. For now. I'm not going to give up, you know."

"And I'm not going to change my mind," he retorted, grinning widely at his easy victory.

She gave him a sour look and heaved a deep sigh. "So what exactly am I going to do for a week, then, Mr. Bossy?"

Another good question. She could hardly traipse around Palas looking like that. And she couldn't stay at his estate without word getting around. Her reputation would be ripped to shreds and dragged through a manure pile before two days were done. Their options were pretty limited.

And then everything came together, and he had to stifle a very uncharacteristicly evil laugh.

"Gaddes, make sure the rest of the repairs get finished today," he commanded sharply. The scruffy, dark-haired man gave him a significant look, his eyes flickering to Annie with a knowing smirk just long enough to make Allen want to punch him.

"Alright, you dogs. Back to work!" Gaddes shouted, and the crew scrambled back to the ship.

"See ya around!" Annie called after them, waving with her free hand. She stifled a laugh when a few of them turned around to wave back and got a nasty tongue-lashing from Gaddes.

"Don't encourage them," Allen groaned under his breath, and she turned to give him a confused look.

"So, what are we going to do now?" she questioned.

"That depends. Are you able to control your foul mouth yet?"

Annie glanced up at the Mystic Moon, a scowl crossing her face before she forced a smile back onto it. "Yep. I think I've got it under control now. I've just got to keep telling myself this'll be a crazy adventure and take things as they come. It won't be for very long. Less than two weeks and I'll be home, right?"

"I don't see why not," he replied, sighing. He looked down into her chocolate brown eyes, and suddenly the strangest, warmest feeling flooded through him. Without thinking, he blurted out, "It's good to see you again, Annie."

She blinked, staring silently at him for several long moments before a little smile twisted up the corners of her mouth.

"Yeah. I guess it is," she murmured finally, and then wrinkled her nose at him. "So, what's the plan, Stan?"

"I'm going to take you to the palace. I'm sure Princess Millerna will be more than thrilled to meet you. I trust you know who she is from Hitomi's stories."

"Yep, I know about her. Hey, is she still married to that Dryden guy?" she asked, hurrying along beside him as he led the way towards his waiting horse.

"Technically. They haven't seen each other since he left at the end of the war. Why?" Allen asked as he checked the saddle straps over and untied the reins.

"Well, I kinda want to meet him. He sounds like fun. Uh, are we going to ride that thing?" she asked uncertainly.

"Of course. I'm sorry, but there isn't a carriage here, so we don't have much choice," he apologized, and then caught the nervous look on Annie's face. "What's wrong? Haven't you ever ridden a horse before?"

"Nope. Never even touched one. You know what? I think I'll walk," she said cheerfully, not fooling Allen one bit.

"Don't be ridiculous. It would take you several hours to walk there," he laughed, enjoying the role-reversal. "You'll be perfectly safe riding with me. You have my word."

Annie eyed the horse doubtfully and pursed her lips. "Alright, fine. But if that thing throws me and tramples me to little bits, whatever's left of me will kick your ass."

"Language, Annie, language," Allen sighed as he lifted her easily into the saddle and swung up behind her. It seemed he was going to get his chance to teach her some manners after all. He surpressed a dark chuckle as he urged the horse into a canter and Annie's knuckles turned white around the saddle horn.

Revenge was going to be very, very sweet.


	3. Welcome to the Jungle

**Welcome to the Jungle**

**AN: **_Yay! Chapter 3!! There's more VxH in this one, for all of you who missed more VxH action last chapter. I think this one's a bit boring- all that setting up junk- but it's also a bit longer. Hope you enjoy anyway!  
__**THANKS SO MUCH**__ to all who have read and reviewed the last chapter. Thanks also for the great ideas-- some of which show up in this chapter or the next! You all are wonderful and deserve giant, frosted Holiday cookies!! Cheers!  
Oops, been forgetting this: Escaflowne doesn't belong to me! But Annie does! Mwahahaha!_

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* * *

__**Welcome to the Jungle****  
We got fun 'n games  
We got everything you want  
Honey, we know the names**_  
("_Welcome to the Jungle" : Guns 'N Roses)_

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* * *

_

Hitomi clung tightly to Van's hand as they ducked as silently as possible through dark, unused passages of the castle's servant quarters. Her skin was still tingling from the cold air of the upper skies. Van had unexpectedly unfurled his glorious wings as they'd neared the city walls, lifting her suddenly, breathlessly, from the ground without an explanation. She'd gasped, but wrapped her arms tightly around his neck without an argument. It had been six long years since she'd heard the wind whistling past her ears as his strong wings carried them through the skies; she wasn't about to start complaining.

Now, as he hustled her quietly along the dark hallways, pausing every so often to listen for other footsteps, she had to stifle a giggle. They were sneaking around in _his_ castle like a pair of guilty thieves, all to avoid the pomp and celebration of _their_ wedding.

"Van, is this really necessary?" Hitomi whispered into his ear, ghosting just enough air to raise a shiver of goosebumps on his skin. She kind of hoped he'd relax enough for a minute to pin her up against the wall and kiss her senseless. It would complete the mood. His grip on her hand tightened momentarily, but he was too busy peeking around the corner to kiss her. She sighed in disappointment.

"It'll be worth it if we can get you to your rooms without anyone seeing us," he whispered back, pulling her swiftly down the deserted hall. Hitomi pressed her lips tightly together and frowned. He was starting to make her jittery, which really wasn't helping her keep her already frazzled nerves in check. How bad _were_ things here if Fanelia's king was forced to play hide-and-seek in his own castle?

They were entering the more inhabited areas now, and their progress was slow, hampered by the scurrying servants bursting out of rooms and hurrying up and down the hallways. The fifth time Van yanked Hitomi into a small room to avoid what sounded like a charging mob, she had to work hard to stifle a giggle at the absurdity of it all.

"It's not far now," Van assured her in a low whisper, his ear pressed intently against the wood of the door, listening. Hitomi watched him, her lips twitching.

"And I suppose... once we get there, we'll have to separate for a while, huh?" she whispered back, leaning in just a little bit closer to him. His deep, red-brown eyes turned to find her own.

"Well, yes. Until the banquet."

"Mm hm," she moved a little closer. "But we won't be _alone_ like this again for a while, right?"

"...Oh. That' true," he managed to get out after a moment of thought. She nearly laughed at his adorable look of crestfallen disappointment. She settled for leaning in until they were centimeters apart.

"But- we're alone now..."

Van blinked, his brain apparently too dazed to be able to keep up with the situation. Hitomi, the girl he'd dreamed about countless times in ways that would earn him a well-deserved slap and then some, _Hitomi_ was leaning towards him, giving him _that kind_ of look. Dear gods, it was like one of his secret fantasies come to life! No. No, that was just his dirty male mind making stuff up. He cleared his throat and tried not to stare at her lips.

"Uh, we should... get you to your... uh..."

But Hitomi moved just a fraction of an inch closer, and he completely lost his train of thought. She was right, anyway. They wouldn't be allowed to spend time alone together until they were properly married. He was pretty sure the council had already assigned round-the-clock chaperones for both of them. Stupid protocols.

His lips crashed into hers, and she wound her arms tightly around his neck, pulling him in deeper. His hands settled on her hips, holding her tightly against him even as they moved away from the door. He backed them into a small wooden table, covered in books and papers, and with one swift movement, he swiped everything onto the floor and lifted her onto the top. She grinned against his mouth and wrapped her legs around his waist, running her hands through his hair. He ghosted his lips down her neck to her collarbone, grinning himself at her gasp.

Behind them, the door crashed against the wall with a reverberating bang. Hitomi shrieked, her nails digging into Van's shoulders as he let out a shocked curse. Timidly, they both glanced at the doorway. A very irate cat-girl glowered at them both, her hands on her hips.

"Where have you _been_?" Merle screeched at them, stomping forward. "Lord Van, I saw the light pillar return _hours_ ago. Do you have any idea how worried I've been? And then, once I finally catch your scent in the castle, I find you two breaking all the rules. And worst of all, you're wasting time! Don't you realize the banquet's in less than two hours?!"

She'd stomped her way to their frozen bodies by then, and she grabbed hold of Van's shirt to yank him away. Hitomi was blushing so hard she was surprised blood wasn't spurting out of her nose. She couldn't quite stop the hysterical giggle from bubbling past her lips at the look on Van's purple face, and Merle shot her a very dirty look.

"I don't know what you find so funny," she sniffed. "You're just lucky it was me who found you, or we might not be having a wedding."

"Merle," Van protested, frowning, as Hitomi's giggle died a swift death.

"What? It's true! I can't even imagine the scandal..."

Hitomi paled, swallowing hard against the sudden dryness in her throat. She was playing by a whole new set of rules now. She'd have to remember that. The consequences weren't worth taking the risks.

"She's right, Van. We shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry," she said quietly.

"I'm not," he murmured in a voice so low she hardly caught his words. Merle's tail twitched in irritation, and Hitomi smiled tentatively at her.

"Hey, Merle. I've missed you," she said simply. The enormous grin spreading across the cat-girl's face caught her completely off-guard.

"I've missed you, too, Hitomi!" Merle squealed, almost knocking her over with an exuberant hug. Rendered speechless by the sudden change in her mood, Hitomi could only manage to hug her back. Inwardly, she marveled at how much Merle had changed in the six years she'd been away. She reminded her of Nariya now; tall, sleek, feminine, and feline all in one. The unchanged bubblegum pink hair and the attitude helped her retain the childlike glow that Hitomi had come to love so much, though.

"Okay. We'll have time for hellos later. Right now, you both have to get ready for the banquet!" Merle exclaimed, letting her out of the rib-cracking hug but keeping a firm grip on one of her arms.

"Merle, there's plenty of time-" Van protested, but Merle cut him off with an angry slash of her tail.

"For you, maybe," she hissed, already propelling a surprised Hitomi out of the door and down the hallway. "But I'm in charge of getting your queen-to-be ready for her grand debut. I need all the time I can get."

_"Grand debut?!_" Hitomi squeaked out, stumbling along as Merle pulled her by the arm. Her head started to swim at the idea of it, little black sparks flying in front of her eyes, and she wondered if she was going to pass out. She seemed to do that a lot on Gaea, she remembered.

"Merle, that's enough!" Van barked, exasperated. Hitomi stared at him with wide, nervous eyes, and he did his best to look calmly reassuring. "This isn't going to be a 'grand debut'. It's just a small informal banquet, alright, Hitomi?"

Merle huffed, and he shot her a dark look. She glanced quickly at Hitomi's white face and her tail twitched a few times.

"Um, yeah. You shouldn't take me too seriously, Hitomi. I'm just sort of on edge with all this wedding planning. Sorry."

"No. It's fine. I'm just- it's fine, really," Hitomi said weakly, giving a small, shaky smile. "I've got to get used to it sometime, right?"

"That's right!" Merle exclaimed, exuberantly determined again. "And the more time you have, the better. Let's go start getting you dressed!"

Hitomi tried hard to look excited, but merely ended up looking like she had a really bad headache. Merle laughed at her expression and started hauling her down the hallway once more. Van trailed along beside them, and Hitomi caught the anxious glances he kept giving her. She tried to give him a convincing smile so he'd know she wasn't going bolt and demand to be sent back home.

No. Not back home. This was home now, and she'd better start remembering that.

It was hard to ignore the way everyone they passed in the hallway stopped dead in their tracks and stared openmouthed, or the excited whispers floating behind them. Hitomi did her best to focus on the endless stream of enthusiastic chatter about dress fittings, marriage ceremony protocol lessons, and the occasional "I'm so glad you're back, Hitomi!" coming from Merle, but it was getting increasingly difficult. She just wanted to let Van hug her and tell her again that everything was going to be alright.

"And here we are! Your own personal suite, at least for the next two weeks," Merle exclaimed, gesturing widely at a pair of large, heavy, wooden doors. "You've got a bedroom, a sitting room with a dining area, two dressing rooms, and a private bathing room. Oh, and a balcony overlooking the gardens."

Hitomi gaped at her, unable to help herself. "Are you kidding? That's... incredible!"

Merle grinned happily at her and turned to pull open the doors. Hitomi looked at Van, her eyes sparkling, and he smiled an incredibly adorable, crooked, little smile at her obviously pleased astonishment.

"I hope you like it. Merle actually made all the preparations," he said humbly. She smiled at him, but Merle cut her off before she could thank either one of them.

"Yes, I did. And it's on the opposite end of the castle from Lord Van's rooms, so I hope you enjoyed your little interlude today, because it's _not _happening again until after the wedding," she hissed in a voice so low only the two of them could hear it. Hitomi glanced sheepishly at Van's face to find him blushing just as bright red as she was. Merle flashed a grin that showed off a few more of her sharp teeth than was necessary and gave Van a shove away from the doors.

"It's time for you to go now, Lord Van. I'll take good care of your bride." she informed him severely. "Come on, Hitomi. We've got a lot of work to do."

If Hitomi wasn't feeling so overwhelmed, she would've had a few snappy replies to that comment. As it was, a whole crew of maids rushed up to them as if on cue, panting and gasping as if they'd just run through half the castle. Which, Hitomi surmised wryly, was probably the case. She could feel that hysterical giggle building in her throat again when she imagined the panic rushing through the castle as word spread that Van and the future queen had snuck in and were headed toward her rooms.

The women all dipped respectfully at their king, but their eyes were fastened on Hitomi with eager excitement. She felt herself going from pale to red and back to pale again as she clenched her hands tightly together to keep herself from fidgeting nervously. Van eyed the small group and backed away slightly, looking distinctly uncomfortable.

"Perfect timing!" Merle exclaimed, waving the women forward into the suite. "There's no time to waste. Let's get started!"

Hitomi flashed a helpless look at Van; he did his best to look reassuringly calm and failed miserably.

"I'll see you... later" he said lamely as Merle flashed another grin at him and shut the door in his face. He heaved a sigh and moved away down the hallway. He didn't really have any desire to be caught staring at her door like a lovesick fool, and he definitely didn't want to deal with Merle's wrath if she found him hanging around. Besides, he was fairly certain he was in for a very respectful telling off by several of his advisors for the way he snuck Hitomi into the castle. There were probably at least five rules of protocol he'd broken with that one.

Ah, but it had been worth it for those few stolen moments with Hitomi. Curse Merle and her impressive sense of smell! He sighed yet again and scowled ferociously, making a passing maid drop her armload of linens. She gave him a few surprised looks as he apologized and hastily helped her scoop them back up before he hurried away to his private study.

The next two weeks of complete, hands-off celibacy were going to be hell.

* * *

Hitomi now knew what it felt like to be caught in the middle of a tsunami, and it was very, very unpleasant. She even got to experience the wet part, too.

There was no time wasted showing her around her new rooms. As soon as the door was slammed in Van's face, the women had surrounded her and rushed her into what she could only guess was the bathing room.

"For the Dragon's sake, Hitomi! I know it must've been stressful getting everything ready to come here, but I've only got two weeks to get you ready for the ceremonies! Couldn't you have taken better care of my raw material?" Merle demanded as she pulled bits of twigs from her hair and grimaced. "What were you and Van doing? No, don't tell me," she said, holding up a hand quickly as Hitomi turned pink from head to toe.

All of the maids giggled in unison, and Hitoim did a quick head count. No less than six, not counting Merle and herself, were bustling around the room heating the water, setting out perfumed oils and lotions, readying towels, and, most embarrassingly of all, getting her undressed. Before she even had time to protest, she was stripped and plopped into the fragrant water. The pink blush had turned scarlet by now, but none of the women seemed to notice or care.

At least the room was enormous enough that it didn't feel crowded. It was a very simple room, with straight, clean lines and no unnecessary frills or decorations. Everything was made of the same dark wood, and the simple, zen-like design reminded her strongly of traditional Japanese architecture. What little she'd seen of Fanelian buildings reminded her of that; it was a very comforting feeling.

Much more comforting than the six pairs of hands that were intent on helping her bathe as Merle directed them with military precision. Hitomi caught the wicked gleam in her eye and scowled.

"Initiation by fire, huh?" she asked as she grabbed the first towel handed to her and wrapped it tightly around herself. If it wasn't for the audience, she would've liked to soak forever in that tub. Maybe it would have eased some of the tension stealing through her ever since she was separated from Van.

Merle examined her nails casually. "This is the custom for nobility. Van's mother never used to bathe with less than eight maids to help her. Besides, you really didn't give us much time to get you ready, Hitomi."

"I've been bathing myself since I was four, Merle," she replied as she submitted to being lotioned and helped into a kimono-like robe made out of a thin, cream-colored material. Short of throwing an all-out temper tantrum, there wasn't much she could do to stop them. Somehow, she didn't think that would reflect very well on her, so she clenched her teeth and told herself to go with the flow.

Merle must've caught the resigned look on her face, because she suddenly gave her a warm, friendly smile as the small entourage moved into another, even larger room.

"It won't be so bad once you get used to it, Hitomi. And if you really don't like it, you can change it. You're going to be Queen, remember," she told her kindly, taking her hand and giving it a small squeeze. Hitomi flashed her a weak smile of gratitude in return while she was gently pushed into a straight-backed wooden chair. Someone began pulling a comb through her hair while others began pulling clothes out of closets that Hitomi hadn't even realized were there.

"Thanks, Merle," she sighed. "But honestly, I don't know anything about being a queen. What if I'm really terrible at it?"

Merle and the maids all laughed. "That's not even a possibilty. Lord Van practically worships you, so there's no way the rest of the country won't love you, too. If you make Lord Van happy, you make Fanelia happy."

"Why don't I believe that things could be that simple?" Hitomi asked wryly. Merle just shrugged and looked her over critically.

"I'm glad you grew your hair out. It makes you look less like a boy."

"Hey! I liked my short hair!" Hitomi protested.

Merle smirked at her. "Then why'd you grow it out?"

"Well, I..." she grimaced a little and figeted in her chair, thinking. "Just for a change, I guess."

"Sure," Merle agreed, rolling her eyes. She beckoned the waiting maids forward, and they lifted up several dresses for inspection. Pursing her lips, she put her hands on her hips and tilted her head to the side, all business again.

"Okay, these are the ones you can pick from tonight. This one-" she pointed at the first maid, who held up a dress in mixtures of dark and light greens offset by white- "will go best with your eyes, I think. But that one-" now she pointed to a dress in reds and blues- "is more of a traditional Fanelian style. And I don't like that one at all," she ended, waving away the yellow and white dress that Hitomi had to agree looked like a five year old's Easter dress, minus the bonnet.

"You mean I actually get a choice?" she asked, raising her eyebrows in mock surprise. Merle ignored her, her head swiveling back and forth between the dresses and Hitomi's seated form.

"The green one, I think. Plenty of time to wear traditional dresses later. Tonight we'll go for stunning," she announced, then stopped as she caught the amused look on Hitomi's face. "What? Oh. Right. So, which one did you like?" she asked politely, but with a threatening frown on her face.

"Uh, the green one is nice," Hitomi agreed meekly after catching the fierce look on the cat-girl's face. Really, it didn't much matter to her which one she wore. Both of them were completely foreign and not her style, anyway. She wondered vaguely if this was how Van felt when he'd had to wear Earth clothes. Maybe, twenty years from now, things wouldn't feel so strange anymore.

Quickly now, she was stripped of her robe and helped into the strange, loose-fitting undergarments. The short, loose undershorts were tied on around the waist; no elastic or zippers here, she reminded herself. Instead of a bra, a thin piece of cloth was wrapped around her chest, buttoning securely in the back.

The dress went on next, and Hitomi realized it was actually several layers. The first was a thin sheath of a smooth, white fabric that was closely fit to her body, but hung in loose folds from her hips to the floor. Over that went a gauze, see-through sheath of light green material, exactly the shade of her eyes, in the same style as the white one. It was slit straight up the middle to the bottom of her chest so that the white material showed through as she moved. Over all this went the last part of the dress that was made in a dark green material with gold embroidery around the bindings. It went on like a coat, buttoning with one button right below her breasts in the middle of her chest, flaring out to show both the light green and white layers. The wide shoulder-straps of the green overdress went out about one inch past her shoulders and were embroidered intricately with gold filigree. Over the single button holding the overdress together, a silk ribbon that matched the light green fabric was tied in an intricate bow in the front of the dress, leaving the trailing ends to flutter down the front of the dress.

All in all, it was a stunning design. Hitomi eyed herself critically in the mirror as she stood like a doll while the other women swarmed around her.

"Well, what do you think?" Merle demanded, looking her over just as critically.

"I think the dress is beautiful. I'm not so sure about me," Hitomi conceded. The maids all murmured protestingly at that, but Merle laughed.

"At least you look better than a handmaiden," she giggled. "Alright, ladies, let's take it off."

"What? Why? I thought it looked good!" Hitomi protested in alarm. It had taken them almost a half an hour to get her into that thing!

"Relax! It does look good, but it's not perfect. We made a pretty good guess at your size, but it still needs a little alteration. So, unless you want to get sewn into it, literally..."

Hitomi groaned, but submitted meekly to being undressed like a life-sized doll once more. While several maids got to work on the minor sewing work, two more led her back to the chair and started in on her hair. She had to work very hard not to jump up and bolt out of the room screaming from pure nerves. This was nothing compared to what they were getting her ready for. So far no one had even told her what she was supposed to do at this banquet tonight.

"Just smile and look pretty," was all Merle had said with a shrug. "And try not to start any wars."

Right. That really helped a lot.

Suddenly, the cat-girl's face was inches from her own, and she gave a small shriek at the sharp tug on her scalp as she yanked back in shock.

"So, is he worth it?" Merle asked with an amused grin. Hitomi blinked, and then gave an ear-to-ear grin herself.

"Absolutely."

* * *

"Annie, are you paying attention?" Allen demanded in exasperation as he urged his horse through Palas' quiet back alleys toward the palace.

"Absolutely," she answered distractedly, craning her neck to be able to see as much as possible. She waved at a group of children playing beside a snoozing old man, and they pointed and stared openmouthed at her.

Allen sighed. "Is that so? Then what was I just telling you?"

"Oh, did you mean paying attention to you? Then no, I wasn't listening at all," Annie clarified cheerfully. Underneath his pristine gloves, Allen's knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists around the reins and wished it was her neck.

"Annie, this is important. You are going to the palace to meet Austuria's royal family. There are things you have to know, protocols-"

"This is where I lost interest last time. Manners and etiquette and blah, blah, blah," she interupted him. "I'm not two years old. I can behave myself when I have to."

"Why do I find that highly unlikely?" Allen muttered under his breath. If Annie heard him, she chose to ignore him.

"Why are you taking me to the palace anyway, if you're so worried about my manners? Why not just hide me at your place for the week?"

"That gets... complicated. Believe me, this is the best option," he assured her. They'd reached the palace walls now, and Allen urged the horse to one of the lesser used side gates. The guard there sprang to attention and let them in immediately, gawking openly at Annie as they passed.

"I think you should put your sweater back on," Allen said tightly, making a mental note to have a talk with the Captian of the Guard about the professionalism of his soldiers.

"Are you kidding? I just came here from the dead of winter. I'm roasting to death in these jeans," Annie protested, and Allen decided it was a battle he didn't feel like fighting. Short of shoving it back onto her himself, he had a feeling he'd lose, anyway.

A servant approached them as Allen dismounted in the courtyard, reaching up to lift Annie off the horse as well. He handed the reigns to the young man, who was busy staring at Annie as she spun in a slow circle to take in her surroundings.

"Send a message to the Princess Millerna that I must speak with her urgently," Allen barked, much more sharply than usual. "I will wait in the Water Garden."

"Immediately, sir," the servant replied, blinking in surprise before leading the horse away. Allen pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation for a moment. Great. Half the palace would know about the strange visitor before the message ever got to Millerna.

"Wow. You Austurians sure like the overly grand, huh?" Annie commented, still spinning slowly in a circle, now looking almost straight up to see the top of the palace.

"We have a deep appreciation for art and beauty," Allen corrected. "We should be waiting in the Water Garden before Princess Millerna gets there."

"Sure, sure," she agreed, skipping along beside him as he led the way. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that she was studying him critically.

"Is something wrong?" he finally asked after several minutes of wondering if he had a big splotch of mud somewhere. Annie flashed her shark grin at him.

"Not really. I was just thinking your uniform looks pretty much as ridiculous here as it did in my kitchen. I'd thought maybe it wouldn't."

Allen forced himself to stay calm. Letting her figure out how to get to Fanelia by herself was _not _a good idea. Why had he wanted to see her again?

"Of course, the guard that let us in has an even pansier uniform, so I guess maybe it's not so bad," she continued thoughtfully, and Allen just clenched his teeth and shook his head. They'd entered the Water Garden now, with it's impressive array of fountains, ponds, and little streams with tinkling waterfalls, and he led her down a winding path towards the largest fountain.

"Oh, wow! This is amazing. Even better than the gardens I saw in Japan, and _those_ people know how to garden," Annie exclaimed, her big brown eyes enormous in her pixie face as she stared at the beauty around her.

Oh, right. _This_ was why he'd wanted to see her again. Luckily for him, she was too caught up in her surroundings to notice the way he couldn't take his eyes off of her. How could he go from being completely annoyed with her to being completely awed by her in less than ten seconds? It didn't make any sense.

"Allen! I got your message. What's so urgent that you can't- Oh!"

Millerna came around the bend in the path and stopped short at the sight of Annie in her tank top and jeans. She blinked uncomprehendingly for a few silent seconds while Annie grinned at her and Allen jerked himself back to reality.

"Hi. I'm Annie," Annie piped up cheerfully into the blank silence. "I'm Hitomi's friend."

"Oh! Oh, I see!" Millerna exclaimed, understanding dawning across her face. "Yes, this is terribly urgent!"

"Yeah. I'm not supposed to be here," Annie agreed, nodding. Allen's lips turned up slightly at the corners as he gave her a quick glance. He didn't think the two girls were on the same page at all.

"Oh, dear! Hitomi must be so worried! This is going to disrupt everything in Fanelia-" Millerna began, but Allen took a step forward and cut her off.

"Princess, you don't quite understand. No one in Fanelia is worried. Annie isn't supposed to be here at all."

Once again, Millerna blinked. "You mean you weren't planning on coming to Gaea?" she asked Annie.

"Do I look like I was trying to come here?" she replied dryly. Millerna looked her over from head to foot now and gave a delicate grimace.

"What happened?" she asked, and Annie gave her a quick run-through of what she called her "abduction by Fate".

"Well, this isn't so bad, then. We'll bring you to Fanelia, and Van and Hitomi will send you back," Millerna stated cheerfully when she'd finished.

"Maybe it's not so bad for _you_, but I'm still not too thrilled about this little surprise side trip," Annie muttered under her breath. Allen decided it was time to bring the conversation around to the real reason why he'd brought her to the palace.

"Until we can get Annie to Fanelia, she'll need someplace to stay and, ah, perhaps some different clothing," he suggested gently, knowing Millerna would jump on the bait. She was already eyeing Annie's outfit again with dislike.

"Of course she'll stay here at the palace. And I'll take care of the clothes personally," she replied quickly, her eyes lighting up at the possibilities. "As soon as possible. We can't have too many people seeing her walking around in _that_."

"I agree. Thank you, Princess," Allen said with a slight bow. "Hitomi would be very upset if anything were to happen to her closest friend."

Annie frowned, her face annoyed. "Can you please stop talking about me like I'm not here?"

"Of course. I'm so sorry," Millerna replied, smiling brightly at her. "This is going to be so much fun! I never thought I'd get the chance to meet you, but now you can tell me all about what Allen was like on the Mystic Moon! I only know a few of the stories from that amazing picture book you gave to Celena."

"Oh, you saw that?" Annie asked, perking up and grinning her shark grin as she gave a sly glance in Allen's direction. "I'm pretty sure I could tell you a few more interesting stories..."

"Wonderful! You can tell me while we find something for you to wear!" the princess nearly squealed, taking her arm and leading her towards the castle. She glanced over her shoulder at the blond knight. "Oh, Allen, come back for the evening meal. I'll get Annie dressed properly by then. You should bring Celena to meet her, too."

Annie caught sight of the smirk on his face right before she walked away and narrowed her eyes at him. Oh, he was perfectly certain that Annie was going to tell Millerna as many embarrassing stories about him as she could think of, but she had no idea what was in store for her. He had to swallow the immature urge to laugh out loud as they disappeared around a bend in the path.

He was just about to mount his horse when Princess Eries came towards him across the courtyard. He made a small, formal bow when she stopped in front of him and gave her a curious look. As a general rule, Eries kept her distance from him, blaming him for Marlene's secret disgrace and Millerna's separated marriage. For her to seek him out was a rare occasion indeed.

"Allen, what do you mean by bringing some outlandishly clad woman to the palace? Don't you know the rumors-" she began in a low voice of tightly controlled fury.

"Princess Eries, she isn't just some woman," Allen interupted her. "Hitomi Kanzaki's friend Annie was accidentally sent here from the Mystic Moon. You must see that it is our duty to protect her until Lord Van and Hitomi can send her back home."

"Annie? But how...?"

"I explained everything to your sister. Annie is with her now while they find her something more appropriate to wear," Allen explained, doing a fairly good job of keeping the glee out of his voice. Eries was silent for a moment, processing the surprising news with tightly pursed lips.

"I see. Of course you're right. Annie will be our honored guest. Thank you for bringing her here, Allen," she finally said. "I shall go welcome her personally."

"Thank you, Princess. And if I could ask a favor," he replied, and Eries nodded slightly. "I would appreciate it if you could make sure her gowns are... on the fancier end."

For a moment, Eries stared thoughtfully at him, her face blank, before she nodded once more at him with a very small, tight smile and walked away.

Ah, payback was sweet.


	4. Pretty Woman

**Pretty Woman**

**AN: **_Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed last chapter! Love you guys!! I am really sorry that it's taken me SO long to update. I have an impressive list of excuses, but I'll spare you that boring agony... One thing, though: I'm suffering horribly from writer's block (been writing a lil' fic for Twilight to try to break it, but it's not working...), so please forgive any lameness in this chapter. I'm doing the best I can with with I got to work with. Sorry!_

_I don't have anything else important to say, besides the obvious fact that I don't own Escaflowne, so let's get on with it already!_

_

* * *

__**Pretty woman  
I don't believe you, you're not the truth****  
No one could look as good as you!  
(Mercy!)**_

_**

* * *

**_

"You look perfect," Merle assured Hitomi for the umpteenth time as they stood waiting in the large, brightly lit sitting room of Hitomi's suite.

"I look like your average Jane Schmoe off the street in a costume," Hitomi muttered, and Merle rolled her eyes dramatically.

"_Fine_. Have it your way," she hissed, striding over to a mirror to double check her own sleek appearance. Hitomi sighed again, nervously biting on the side of her pinky nail as her eyes scanned the room. It, like the bathroom and dressing room, was furnished with dark wood in fine, straight lines. It's simplicity was calming to her jangled nerves. People who prefered this type of clean, minimalistic décor wouldn't go that overboard and elaborate in anything else, would they?

How long until she got to see Van again?

"Merle, what are we waiting for? I thought the banquet started a while ago."

Once again, Merle rolled her eyes. "I _told_ you. We're waiting here until we're summoned to the dining hall. You can't just waltz in whenever you want like you're just another court lady. Timing is everything, you know."

"Is Van waiting, too? Why can't we wait with him instead of here?" Hitomi asked hopefully. It would make everything seem unfathomably easier if she could walk into the crowded dining hall with Van's strong hand wrapped securely around her own.

"We can't wait with Van because he's already at the banquet," Merle sighed in exasperation. Hitomi moaned and sank into a chair, burying her face in her hands. The cat-girl was suddenly by her side, patting her reassuringly on the back.

"Hey, cheer up! Tonight's going to be fun," she told her. "Besides, we get to miss out on most of the boring speeches and ceremony. Once we go in, you'll just have to give a tiny little speech, and then we get to eat!"

Hitomi nodded vaguely into her hands before her brain really processed Merle's words. Then her head snapped up , her face a deathly, chalky white.

"Did you say... give a speech? Me? Just me? A _speech_??"

Merle grimaced ruefully, obviously wanted to smack herself in the forehead for accidentally saying anything. "It's just a teeny, tiny one. Nothing to worry about," she insisted hurriedly.

"You're serious? In just a few minutes, I've got to give a speech to everyone in that dining hall, and _you didn't bother to tell me about it??_" Hitomi's voice had risen through two octaves into a high-pitched shriek. She jumped to her feet and paced in a tight circle, the green dress rustling quietly, silk on silk, with her agitated movements.

"Oh, calm down, Hitomi. This is why I didn't say anything," Merle muttered darkly. "Listen, you don't have to prepare anything. It's not even a speech, really. The head council members will give some speech about how Fanelia welcomes its new queen and blah, blah, blah, and all you'll have to do is thank them and say something about how happy you are to be welcomed into such a wonderful country. That's it."

"Oh, that's it. No big deal. Just give an impromptu speech in front of all the most important people in Fanelia," Hitomi agreed sarcastically, a hysterical edge to her voice.

"Just keep it short and simple. You'll do fine."

"How could you do this to me?" she moaned, sinking weakly once again into a nearby chair. "Did Van know about it, too?"

"Er, no," Merle fidgeted uncomfortably, not meeting Hitomi's suddenly curious gaze. "The whole thing's giong to be a bit of a surprise for him, too."

That couldn't have been a bigger understatement. Van sat in his appointed seat, furiously dumbfounded as he listened to his council members drone on through endless speeches. Everyone of any importance in Fanelia was crowded into the large dining room, eagerly awaiting their first glimpse of the future queen.

"I thought I told you to keep this _small_," he hissed under his breath to the man who'd discussed it with him only yesterday.

"This is small, my Lord. Comparetively," the council member replied calmly as they applauded politely at the conclusion of the latest speech. Van ran an agitated hand through his unruly hair, accidentally dislodging the gold circlet he'd so unwillingly shoved onto his head before entering the hall to boisterous applause. He straightened it hastily now, forcing himself to keep the pleasant, bland mask on his face instead of scowling darkly like he wanted to. Maybe he should've let them have their parade so they wouldn't have resorted to this madness.

Van had to resist the urge to groan out loud as the next speaker stood up and addressed the crowd, embarking on what promised to be a long-winded and immensely boring speech. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the head council member nod discreetly and a servant slid silently out of the room in answer. Apparently, it was nearly time for the intended queen's grand debut.

Hitomi wasn't going to like this. Not one bit.

Panic seemed like such a weak word describe what Hitomi was feeling as she was lead swiftly through the brightly lit hallways of Fanelia's castle toward the banquet hall. Stark terror might have been a closer match. She clutched Merle's hand in a death grip, fervently wishing it was Van by her side instead of the excited cat-girl. Merle seemed to think they were headed towards a spectacular party instead of the pit of vipers Hitomi dreaded.

The servant stopped outside of a massive set of ornately carved wooden doors and motioned them to wait quietly. He slipped silently passed the doors, leaving them standing alone in the enormous hall.

"I can't do this. I can't do this. I just can't," Hitomi suddenly moaned. She clutched Merle's hand tighter as her knees wobbled underneath her. The smooth silk of her skirt rippled in cascading waves from her chest to her feet with the force of her trembling, and her breath came in short, painful gasps.

"Hitomi, relax!" Merle demanded, placing her hands on either side of Hitomi's face to force her green eyes to look at her. "Everybody's going to love you. They love you already for coming back to Lord Van."

"But what if I do something wrong?" Hitomi whispered hoarsely as she stared desperately into the cat-girl's bright eyes.

"You won't, trust me. I won't let you," she replied grimly. "I've worked way too hard on this wedding to let anything mess it up. Including you."

Hitomi gave a weak laugh in spite of herself. "Thanks, Merle. That makes me feel a lot more confident."

"I do what I can. Besides, you don't have to worry. Everyone's here just to get a glimpse of you, and you look _perfect_."

"Ha. If you say so," Hitomi muttered, but Merle didn't get a chance to argue. There was a sudden, loud clanging of drums and bells, and then a gong was struck three times.

"This is it. Stand up straight and smile," Merle exclaimed in an excited whisper as she took a position slightly behind and to the right of Hitomi's shoulder. The doors swung open, and she automatically stiffened her spine and held her head high.

The banquet hall erupted into deafening applause and cheers, and she faltered in the doorway.

"Go on, go on! Slow, steady steps!" Merle hissed at her shoulder, and Hitomi shuffled obediently forward. The cheering didn't let up in the slightest as the two moved forward; if anything, it just got louder. Every single person in the room strained to catch a glimpse of Hitomi as she passed, the smiles on their faces doing little to ease her nervousness. She felt like she was going to sink through the floor under the weight of their stares.

Her terrified, overwhelmed gaze flickered through the room frantically, searching for a familiar face to cling to in the bright sea of people. Finally, she found the pair of deep maroon eyes she'd so longed to see staring intently at her through the crowd. Her own eyes clung onto his gaze like a drowning person clung to a life raft in the ocean.

"Slow down, slow down! I don't care how happy you are to see him," Merle ordered in a frantic hiss behind her. Hitomi slowed abruptly, sheepishly realizing that she'd almost broken into a run just to get to Van's side.

"Oops. Sorry. Where am I going?" she whispered back to Merle, moving her lips as little as possible. As Merle directed her forward, Van came around his table and down the two steps to meet them, obviously prompted by the two elderly council members following closely at his heels.

The cheers and applause rattled the windows when Hitomi finally reached him, taking his outstretched hand with a sigh of relief. She clung to his hand so tightly her knuckles turned white, but if it bothered him, he certainly didn't show it. His face was a bizarre mixture of stunned wonder and apologetic uncertainty. She could guess that he was worried about how she was going to take all of this unexpected pomp, but she didn't really understand why he was staring at her like he'd never seen her before.

Van, for his part, wasn't sure how he'd gotten from point A to point B, since his brain had abruptly stopped working when the massive double doors had swung open. No goddess could ever look as perfectly amazing as Hitomi did tonight. He knew he'd never seen her look so beautiful as she did right now, with that slight, pink blush staining her creamy cheeks, her incredible, sea-green eyes sparkling in the glow of a thousand candles, the way that dress flowed perfectly over her lithe frame. He wanted time to stop so he could stare at her for endless moments.

Her eyes never strayed from his as they made their way back up the stairs and around the table to their raised seats.

"Lords and Ladies of Fanelia, presenting your future queen, Lady Hitomi Kanzaki!" shouted the eldest council member, and now the two of them were forced to tear their eyes away from each other to smile and nod at the enthusiastically cheering crowd. Hitomi's ears were ringing by the time the council members signaled for the crowd to finally quiet down and resume their seats.

Merle leaned over to whisper quickly in her ear as they sat down, "See? Told you they love you."

Hitomi gave her a tiny, wry smile before she turned to listen to the head council man's speech. Under the table, hidden from the eager eyes of the crowd, she still clung tightly to Van's hand like a lifeline.

Van did his best to keep his eyes trained on the speaker instead of staring like a sex-deprived teenager at Hitomi. It took a lot of will-power to stop himself from turning his chair sideways, propping his chin in his hand, and drooling onto the tablecloth. It just wasn't fair that everyone else in the room got to stare all they wanted at her, while he, her soon-to-be husband, couldn't. At least she hadn't let go of his hand.

The councilman finished his speech and stood looking expectingly at them. For a moment, neither of them moved, staring confusedly back at him, before Merle kicked Hitomi's shin painfully under the table.

"It's your turn to talk, Hitomi," she hissed frantically.

Wide-eyed, trembling, Hitomi rose slowly to her feet. She hoped she had a smile plastered on her face, because she was too numb with fright to know what she was doing. Van stood up with her, whether from protocol or because she wouldn't let go of his hand she didn't know.

"Uh, thank you. Thank you, all of you, for welcoming me to Fanelia," she began, blushing bright scarlet. She stopped and glanced at Van nervously, and he gave a tiny nod of encouragement.

"It's- I mean, I'm very glad to be back here, _home_, in this beautiful country," she finished quickly. The crowd seemed as eager to be pleased as Merle predicted, because they burst into applause again like she'd just delivered the Gettysburg Address. Van gave her hand a tug, pulling her gently back into her seat.

"Well, that was nothing to write in the histories, but it worked," Merle muttered to her as she heaved an enormous sigh of relief.

"You're doing great," Van whispered into her ear, raising goosebumps down her neck from the tickle of his warm breath. She turned shining eyes to him, wishing she could fling her arms around his neck and....

But the old man was talking again, droning on and on about the great honor she did to Fanelia by becoming its queen, blah, blah, blah. Trying not to scowl in annoyance, they both turned their attention back to him and twined their fingers tighter together under the table.

At least, Van pretended to pay attention to the speech. In reality, his brain was wandering in much more interesting directions. Like how the green of her dress reminded him of the silky, green shirt she'd worn dancing. Dancing on the Mystic Moon... and what happened after the dancing... oh yeah. Good times.

He couldn't stop his eyes from sliding over to her again, just for a brief moment. No, that green actually reminded him of something else. His brain wandered off into a world of teeny-tiny green bikinis and saunas, which might have accounted for the dreamy, vacant expression on his face.

Hitomi kept glancing discreetly at him, silently wondering if someone had drugged his drink to stop him from canceling this wildly insane excuse of a "small" banquet. Maybe he was just a really good actor. At any rate, he certainly _looked _like he was enjoying himself.

Which was more than she could say for herself. Everywhere she looked, curious, eager eyes were staring intently at her. There was a twittering undercurrent of murmurs flowing beneath the sonorous tones of the oblivious speaker as the Lords and Ladies whispered excitedly to each other, never looking away from the royal couple seated hand in hand in their raised seats. Hitomi could feel herself shriveling under their scrutiny. Never in her life had she wanted to run screaming from a room as badly as she did now.

And the out-to-lunch Van wasn't helping her, either. She tugged on his hand discreetly under the table to get his attention just as the councilman ended his long-winded speech. He looked questioningly at her as they untangled their fingers to clap politely.

"Where was your brain? You looked completely spaced out," she murmured to him quietly enough that only he could hear her. She blinked in surprise at the red tinge creeping into his cheeks as he shifted uncomfortably.

"Uh...your dress- the green- it just reminded me of something," he dodged uncomfortably.

"Reminded you of what?" she demanded. She pinned him with a curious gaze, and his hopes of getting out of telling her were dashed.

"Just... well, bikinis. And... saunas," he muttered as his ears flamed red. He shifted in embarrassment, looking every direction but at her face. She blinked at him a moment before her own blush crept into her cheeks, making her flush a delicate rose pink. A tiny, awkward smile tugged at her lips as she looked down at the green, silky material of her gown.

"Oh," she whispered, a little bubble of pure joy expanding in her chest. She could forgive him for spacing out over _that. _Van risked an embarrassed glance at her face and sighed in relief at the smile he saw there. A little part of him had been expecting a slap, since he knew he sort of deserved it for the kind of thoughts he'd just been having.

The gong sounded again, and servants began pouring into the room bearing heavily loaded trays of all of Fanelia's most delicious delicacies. Hitomi suddenly felt ten pounds lighter as the crowd's interest switched from her to the dishes being placed in front of them.

"You're doing great, Hitomi!" Merle told her, quietly enthusiastic. "Did you see how everyone was staring at you?"

"That's a good thing?" Hitomi asked incredulously as tray after tray of mystery food was presented to her. The sheer number of choices was beyond bewildering, and she just sat and stared, unable to decide on anything.

"Of course it's a good thing," Merle reassured her distractedly as she filled her plate to overflowing. She glanced at Hitomi's empty plate and leaned around her to get Van's attention.

"Lord Van, make sure your bride eats something, please. I can't have her looking like a skeleton for the marriage ceremonies."

"Aren't you hungry, Hitomi?" Van asked quietly as yet another tray passed by her, untouched. She looked at him with a blank face, and he frowned a little in concern, swiftly placing a few scoops of food on her plate.

"Here, just try this. Don't eat what you don't like," he told her gently. She nodded and picked up her strangely shaped fork, obediently putting a bit of food in her mouth and chewing slowly. Whatever it was didn't taste too bad, but it was hard to feel hungry when her stomach was still tied up in knots of anxiety. The last food she'd eaten had been hours ago, on the Mystic Moon with her family and Annie. Tears gathered thickly in her throat, and she hastily swallowed them down with her food. Van noticed and leaned over to murmur quietly in her ear, his voice thick with concern.

"I'm sorry about all of this, Hitomi. I swear I wouldn't have allowed it if I'd known."

She looked at him, losing herself in his troubled, maroon eyes. She wished they were alone so she could melt into his arms and let his warmth soothe her. But they were in a crowded banquet hall, with all eyes on them, and the last thing she wanted was for him to worry about her.

"It's okay, Van. I know it's not your fault," she gave Merle a quick, scathing look which she blithely ignored, "I'll be fine, really. It's just a little... overwhelming."

"I agree," Van replied fervently. "If I had my way, _none_ of this would be happening. _Right_, Merle?"

Merle looked up from her plate, blinking innocently at them. "Hey, if it wasn't for me, the two of you would be getting married without anyone noticing at all."

"_Exactly!_" Van and Hitomi exclaimed together in exasperation.

"You'll thank me later," Merle told them haughtily, ignoring their sceptical glares. "You had better eat quickly. They're going to be bringing out the dessert soon."

After dessert came another speech, this time by a man so ancient Hitomi sat in nervous terror that he was going to topple over dead from the exertion of talking at any moment. His speech meandered from topic to topic, and she felt her eyelids getting heavier and heavier as his monotonous voice droned on. Merle's sharp fingernail digging into her side made her jump; she stiffened her spine and worked hard to refocus on his words.

"...and may the gods smile kindly on your love, that you may bless Fanelia with many heirs from your union. May the fertile soil of this blessed land, guarded by dragons, become a part of you, that you will be blessed with fertility..."

Oh, _god_! What the hell was that old pervert going on about? Hitomi flamed bright scarlet from collarbone to hairline as Merle snickered quietly next to her. Van's hand tightened painfully around hers, his other hand looking like it was itching to reach for his sword. Once again, all eyes were locked onto them, and Hitomi wished fervently that she could hide underneath the table until she died of old age.

The old man finally wound to a close, bowing carefully toward the royal table as the crowd applauded politely.

"The _Fertility Blessing?_ Merle-" Van hissed angrily at the cat girl, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"I had nothing to do with that, Lord Van!" she squeaked in a high-pitched whisper. "I swear to Escaflowne, I didn't plan that!"

"Fertility blessing? Is that what that was? I thought he was just some kind of pervert," Hitomi mused in a muddled sort of voice. The blush was finally wearing off, but it left her feeling completely drained and incredibly sleepy.

"It's an ancient blessing for many children in your married life," Merle explained patiently while Van looked like he still wanted to smash a few plates.

The drums and bells clanged again, and Hitomi jumped, nearly falling off of her chair in surprise. The gong tolled slowly three times and Van pulled Hitomi to her feet as the entire room stood up silently.

"That's it. It's over for tonight, Hitomi," Van told her as they made their way hand in hand out of the room. Everyone strained to catch one last glimpse of the royal couple as they passed on their way to the massive double doors.

"Thank goodness," Hitomi sighed, sagging with relief once they were out of sight. "Is it like that every time you go out in public?"

"Sort of, but not so intense," Van replied carefully, his own relief evident on his tired face. Swiftly, they made their way out of the brightly lit, public hallways into the darker, private areas of the castle. Hitomi sighed, leaning into his shoulder has he began to put his arm around her, but Merle pulled them apart.

"Hey, hey, Lord Van. You know the rules," she stated firmly, putting herself between them.

"Merle, don't be ridiculous," Van began, thoroughly exasperated and at the end of his rope. He just wanted to hold Hitomi for one minute, was that too much to ask?

"Carefully, Lord Van," Merle warned, her eyes flickering meaningfully to the hovering maids. Van blew a frustrated breath through his pursed lips and ran his hand through his hair, dislodging the gold circlet once more.

"Right, right," he muttered, straightening it with a heavy frown. Hitomi giggled sleepily from behind Merle, and he couldn't help but give her a small, crooked smile in return.

"I will see you tomorrow, right?" she asked in a small, hopeful voice.

Merle answered for him, already pushing her down the hallway toward the waiting maids. "Of course you'll see him. C'mon, get moving before you fall asleep on your feet."

"Yeah. See you tomorrow, Van," she called down the hallway, helpless against the wave of women propelling her away from him. He lifted a hand wearily in response before turning and walking slowly toward his own rooms.

In his mind, the whole evening had been nothing short of a disaster. Except, of course, seeing Hitomi looking like that. _That_ had been worthwhile. But the _Fertility Blessing_? Good gods, the whole country had gone insane.

Two more weeks until the marriage ceremony would even begin. Two weeks that Hitomi could change her mind- and if things kept up like this, he could hardly blame her if she did.

"_Dear gods_," he prayed fervently, _"__**Don't**__ let Merle get any more carried away with this than she already is!"_

Rubbing his temples, he sank wearily onto his bed fully clothed. The next month was going to be pure hell.

* * *

Millerna chattered nonstop, showing no sign of stopping, and Annie wondered vaguely just what she'd gotten herself into. That smug little smirk on Allen's face had her worried. The only other time she'd seen a look like that on his face, he'd kissed her under the mistletoe in front of her family.

Not that that had been _entirely_ bad. The kissing part was actually quite enjoyable. Okay, that was putting it mildly. Allen Shezar was one damn good kisser, despite his pretty boy looks. And that, by itself, had touched off a humongous tangle of issues, mostly stemming from the fact that she wanted to make fun of him _and_ make out with him every freaking time she saw him. It was a conundrum.

Millerna babbled on and on as they wound their way through the long, twisting passageways of the Austurian castle. Annie registered the fact that she was discussing clothes and automatically tuned her out in favor of paying attention to the passing scenery. It would've been nicer if Millerna had slowed down so it didn't all look like an ornate blur, but she'd take what she could get. She was just trying to decide if Austuria resembled Marie Antionette-style French decor, or Victorian England when Millerna flung open a door and pulled her inside.

"So, what do you think, Annie?" Millerna asked her, slightly out of breath from all her talking, as she pulled on a tassled, velvet cord hanging by the fireplace.

"Definitely Marie Antionette French," Annie replied, nodding as she surveyed the room. She smiled cheerfully at Millerna's confused face, the realization that she hadn't answered what the princess had been asking at all making no difference to her whatsoever.

"Um," Millerna began, and Annie couldn't help smiling a little wider at her confusion. "I'm afraid I don't know what style gown a "Marie Antionette French" is. I'm sorry."

"S'okay. I don't want to wear a dress like that, anyway. Even though it'd match the room perfectly," Annie replied, shrugging. Millerna blinked, clearly floundering to get the conversation back on normal ground.

"Well, we'll have to find you something decent to wear. You can't walk around in that. Someone might question Allen's virtue!"

"Why would they question _his_ virtue?" Annie asked, her voice sparkling with amusement. Millerna shifted uncomfortably, her eyes flickering over the tight jeans and the "Farm Fresh Melons" emblazoned across her chest. Annie looked down, inspecting her outfit, a pronounced, mischievious twinkle in her eyes. "What? Is there a problem with fresh produce here?"

"Er, no. That's not..." Millerna broke off in relief as a soft knock on the door interupted her. "Oh! The maids are here! Enter, please!" she called in a clear voice, turning her back to Annie as the swarm of curious maids poured into the room.

Annie held her grin firmly in place as she faced their scrutiny with no visible sign of nervousness. Inside, she was starting to feel a little sick. A little inkling of what Allen had been smirking so smugly about was worming it's way into her mind, and the thought made her repress a shudder.

It was time to play Dress Up Barbie Annie.

"Lady Annie has just arrived as our honored guest. She is Lady Hitomi Kanzaki's dearest friend from the Mystic Moon, and you will inform the palace that all are to obey her desires," Millerna informed the room regally, ignoring Annie's raised eyebrows at the title of 'lady'. "But first, she requires several suitable day dresses and evening gowns for her stay here."

The maids all dropped into a respectful curtsy in unison, murmuring excitedly to each other as they eyed the newly minted "Lady Annie" in wonder. In the breath of a second, the room sprung into action. Several women rushed out of the door, while another pulled several times on the velvet rope. People began to come and go at an alarming rate, whispering instructions to each other as they passed.

Five ladies suddenly surrounded her, lifting her arms so they stuck out straight from her sides, as they wrapped measuring tapes around every available surface of her body. Millerna sat comfortably in a nearby chair and watched the proceedings with a practised eye.

"36, 24, 36? Uh uh. Only if she's _five three_," Annie joked to herself, giggling a little. She could handle this, if only to wipe that smug smirk off of Allen's face.

"I'm sorry?" asked one of the maids questioningly as she traded confused looks with the other ladies around her.

"Nothing, nothing. Just something from a song," Annie replied airily, waving for them to continue with their over-enthusiastic measuring. Millerna leaned forward, a fascinated gleam in her eye.

"Oh, a Mystic Moon song? What's it called? How does it go?"

"It's 'Big Butts' by Sir Mixalot. You know- "_my anaconda don't want none unless she's got buns, hon"_. It's a great song." Annie chirped happily. She nodded sagely at everyone's shocked expressions. "Yeah, Allen looked like that when I played it for him, too."

For once, Millerna was at a complete loss for words. She sat blinking, opening and closing her mouth helplessly for several long minutes before she could make any sound come out of it.

"Oh... Well. That's..."

"Enough of that," a new, commanding voice finished for her from the doorway.

"Eries!" Millerna cried in relief, jumping to her feet. Austuria's middle princess stood just inside the door, looking Annie over with a hard, critical eye.

Annie kept the smile plastered on her face even as she got the uncomfortable sensation of becoming a specimen under a microscope. _This _princess looked like she might be a formidable opponent.

"Welcome to Austuria, Annie," Eries said formally, moving smoothly and slowly into the room. "I am Millerna's elder sister, Eries."

"How did you know about Annie's arrival?" Millerna blurted out before Annie could do more than open her mouth.

Eries' lips curled up into an enigmatic smile. "I spoke with Sir Allen briefly in the courtyard and he explained everything to me."

The way she said 'everything' with that strange smirk on her face made Annie's skin crawl uncomfortably. So, the ice-princess was in on whatever Allen's evil scheme was. _Great_.

"So the whole palace knows about me, huh?" was all she said out loud. "Wish I could hear some of the rumors. I bet you heard something wild if you went running out to talk to Allen."

Eries pursed her lips and raised her chin slightly. "I merely heard that Sir Allen had brought a strange visitor to the castle. Although, with the way you are dressed, you shouldn't be surprised about having a few unsavory rumors floating around."

"_Seriously. _What do you people have against fresh produce?" Annie exclaimed in a dead serious voice, keeping the giggles locked inside at the roomful of pink-faced women suddenly unable to meet her eyes. Even Eries looked away uncomfortably. Oh, the fun of implying everyone in the room except for you had thought of something dirty.

Unfortunately, her moment of hilarity was cut short as several maids bustled in with what appeared to be layers of lace, silk, and floofy frills.

Oooooh, hell.

A nonchalant smile was getting more and more difficult to keep on her face as she eyed the mountains of poof that were apparently what the Austurians called 'appropriate clothing'. It looked like a prom store had exploded as the maids layed out dress after dress, each one fancier than the last. Eries and Millerna were being shown each gown for approval, and Annie frowned heavily as she noticed how Eries rejected every sensible, minimaly frilled dress in favor of the ostentatiously fancy ones. Somehow, the elder princess had convinced Millerna that simple was definitely not the way to go for their most honored guest, and now the room was alive with floating lace and taffeta.

Oh ho _ho_. So _that _was Allen's evil, evil scheme. Annie bit her lips in an effort not to grimace. There seemed to be absolutely nothing she could do to stop this train of poof-dom, and the smartest course of action appeared to be playing along. Oh, she'd get Allen back somehow. No doubt about it- she was going to get him back _good_ for this humiliation.

And the first step would be pretending to be thrilled about the ridiculous dresses being thrust at her. Her chocolate brown eyes danced with determination and laughter, a smirk of her own tugging at her lips.

_Bring on the frills, you lace-happy freaks," _she laughingly taunted them silently. _"Allen, prepare to be disappointed. A Goettenberg __**always **__wins these type of games."_

"Annie, why don't you start getting dressed while Millerna and I pick out your gown for this evening?" Eries suggested in a voice that was all commanding sweetness. There was an amused twinkle in her eye behind her bland, calm mask, and Annie decided right then and there that she really liked this princess. There was a quirky, practical joke-loving sense of humor hidden under that icy exterior that she just had to respect.

"That sounds like a great idea," Annie agreed with a bright smile of her own. "Oh- but just make sure it has _extra_ lace, will you?"

"Oh, it _will_," Eries replied, the smile on her face mocking the hidden threat in her voice. "And ladies, _do_ make sure you lace Lady Annie's corset up well."

_**Corset??**_ Okay, now it was time to panic. She remembered watching a History Channel special on women's fashions through the ages with her grandma a long time ago, and vague memories of it being labeled as a 'hidden torture device' floated around in her head. Floofy dresses were one thing, but _corsets?_ That was taking the joke a step too far.

Helplessly, Annie followed the small crowd of maids leading her into another room to undress. She had to grit her teeth a few times as she handed her Earth clothes over the privacy screen- perhaps never to be seen again. The undergarments they handed her fit so perfectly into the Marie Antionette period style that they didn't even surprise her. Once she'd gotten the bloomer-like underpants and tight-fitting camisole on, she was told to step out from behind the screen so they could tie up her corset.

"_I can do this. I __**will**__ laugh in Allen's face when he sees me tonight. I will __**not**__ throw a temper tantrum. This is all just fun and games," _Annie told herself over and over again as she gripped the post as instructed and braced herself for the inevitable. The harsh yanking and tugging surprised her; she lost her grip with the first pull and fell backwards into the shocked arms of the maid.

"Holy moses! Do you guys ever play tug of war? "Cause that'd be something to see," Annie gasped laughingly. The maids exchanged confused looks, no smiles on their faces, and she straightened up and gripped the post again with a frown. "Nevermind. Let's just get this over with," she muttered darkly. These people had about the same tiny sense of humor that Allen had.

The tugging started immediately again, and this time she wrapped both hands around the post and hung on like a monkey. The maids yanked and tightened unmercifully until she finally understood why women in the past fainted all the time. Taking a deep breath, taking any kind of breath, was all but impossible now.

"Alright, we've finished lacing you up, Lady Annie," a maid stated respectfully. Annie uncurled her rigid hands from the pole and looked down at her wasp-shaped form.

"You sure? 'Cause I think I can still breathe a little," she said, hiding her sarcasm perfectly behind a blandly serious voice.

"We can try to make it tighter if you'd like," the maid replied anxiously, and Annie felt her eyebrows shoot right off the top of her forehead.

Note to self- Austurians do _not_ understand Minnesotan sarcasm.

"No, thanks. I think this'll be good enough for tonight," she told them quickly, backing away from their eager hands. Wheezing a little, she scanned the room anxiously for the bag that held her inhaler. Cripes, but it was ridiculously hard to breathe in that get-up.

The door flung open, and Millerna danced into the room, followed by a much more reserved Eries. The gleam in the elder princess' eyes gave her away, and Annie put her hands on her hips and grinned.

"So, I survived the lacing. What's next?"

"Oh, corsets aren't so bad once you get used to them," Millerna said, smiling kindly. "Anyway, it's all worth it for the figure they give you, right?"

Annie eyed her in disbelief, a laughing grin on her face. "Oh, _sure._ I don't really like breathing, anyway."

Eries cleared her throat delicately, and Millerna suddenly clapped her hands and looked like she'd just won first prize at the county fair. A little sprinkling of apprehension trickled through Annie's viens.

"Oh, we found the most beautiful gown for you tonight, Annie! You're going to look so wonderful in it, you won't even recognize yourself!" the princess squealed with glee, and Annie's little sprinkle of fear turned into all-out terror hidden behind a carefully excited-looking expression. She had no doubt whatsoever that she wasn't going to recognize herself once Millerna was done with her Barbie Annie makeover.

Eries clapped her hands sharply, and two maids came slowly into the room carrying The Dress. Annie swallowed hard, the fact that it took two women to carry the monstrosity not lost on her.

The maids held it up and spread it out for inspection, and poor Annie could only gape at it in sheer amazement. Never again would she consider pink one of her favorite colors. Each poofed sleeve was twice as wide as her cinched waist, and the frilled and gathered skirt was at least as wide as she was tall. One could hardly even see the dress underneath all the lace.

"Isn't it just perfect?" Millerna exclaimed, her beautiful, lavender blue eyes dancing with pure joy.

"Its... wow," Annie managed to get out as she shook her head slowly, unable to look away from the magnificent horror in front of her. "Just... _wow_."

What else could she say? Even a tea-partying group of six year old girls would mock that mess of fabric and floof as being _too _frilly.

"Oh, I'm so glad you like it! Try it on so we can alter what doesn't fit. I'll go choose your shoes and jewelry, and Eries can stay here to help you," Millerna exclaimed, as excited as a girl with a new doll. She rushed out of the room, and Eries smiled innocently. Ignoring her, Annie stepped forward to lift up the skirt and peer under it curiously.

"Are you looking for something?" Eries asked politely.

"Just making sure the circus isn't still in there," Annie replied, grinning. "Where'd you dig this thing up?"

Eries sniffed, raising her chin haughtily. "This is one of our royal designer's creations. He will be most honored to have you wear it."

"I'll bet," Annie muttered, but Eries ignored her and signaled the maids to start helping her dress.

First, a skirt with stiff, metal hoops sewn into the fabric was tied tightly around her waist, encasing her bottom half like a bird cage. She poked at it with one finger, fascinated. It took three women to gather the skirts of the enormous gown and hoist it over her head. They let it fall to her feet, and it settled like a cloud over the hoops. In reality, it felt as heavy as lead with all the layers of silk and lace. Annie stared down at the indecent amount of cleavage the dress positively _displayed_ as the maids worked on the long row of tiny buttons going from her bottom to the collar of the dress in the middle of her back.

"And you people think my tank top was indecent," she snorted mockingly. "I think my girls will tumble right out if I lean over."

"Then don't lean over," Eries told her sweetly, supervising the maids as they cinched and pinned the areas that needed alteration. To Annie's utter horror, the women picked up their needles and thread and began fixing the dress without bothering to take it off of her first.

"Wait a second! Wouldn't it be easier if it wasn't on me?" she exclaimed.

"Yes, but this way it will look like it's tailor-made for you. Which, when we're finished, it will be," Millerna explained as she skipped into the room followed by several maids carrying boxes of varying sizes. "Oh, Annie! I knew that dress would be perfect on you! Just wait until you see the things I found for you!"

She pulled out a pair of very uncomfortable looking shoes in a matching shade of pale pink, topped with small bows of white lace.

"Well... they definitely match the dress," Annie managed to say in a carefully cheerful voice, inwardly screaming _KILL ME NOW!_

The shoes were quickly slipped on, just the tiniest bit snug. Millerna shrugged it off, declaring that since they matched the dress so well, the little pinch was worth it. Annie just managed to stop herself from pointing out the fact that no one would ever _see _the shoes underneath the mammoth skirt, so it would be easier if she just went barefoot. The teetering, four inch heels weren't helping the dress be short enough, anyway.

The bottom piece of lace and frill dragged on the floor even after she'd stepped into the sky-high heels, and the whole room was in a frazzled tizzy trying to figure out what to do. Annie crossed her fingers and prayed this was her way out of the pink disaster.

"We're just going to have to take off the bottom ruffle," Millerna finally sighed in despair.

"Oh, _heaven forbid_ I lose a ruffle!" Annie couldn't stop herself from blurting out, and everyone but Eries took her seriously.

"It's really the only option, Annie. No one will even notice it's gone," Millerna reassured her gently, and if she'd been able to laugh, she would have. As it was, the corset made anything more than a breathy giggle impossible.

Yikes. So _that's_ why all the women in the room sounded like twittering idiots when they laughed.

The ruffle was quickly disposed of, and Annie was led to an enormous, full-length mirror so she could admire her own magnificence. Words completely failed her as she stared with enormous eyes at the reflection of a small, brown-haired girl completely swallowed up in the pink and white monstrosity. She was just a plastic tiara away from a fairy princess at a Renessaince Festival.

"Oh, my lady! You look good enough to eat!" one of the maids crooned excitedly, and Annie tilted her head to the side, examining herself with an amused grin.

"Well that's true, since I look like a ginormous wedding cake," she agreed cheerfully. The women exchanged confused looks, uncertain whether that was a good thing or not, and she wrinkled her nose.

"You know, I don't remember Tomi mentioning corsets or hoop skirts when she talked about Austurian clothes," she said breathlessly, giving a rueful grimace as she pressed a hand to her protesting ribs.

"Oh? She must've just forgotten them," Millerna shrugged distractedly, looking Annie's outfit over with a very critical eye.

Annie tried to take a breath and winced heavily. "Not likely," she muttered.

"Corsets didn't come into common style until about five years ago, after the Great War. The hoop cage is a popular accessory to our designer's gowns," Eries informed her cooly in a detached voice. If she'd been hoping for a stronger reaction from Annie over the dress, she'd been sorely disappointed. Just like Annie hoped Allen was going to be, _if_ she could manage to keep up the cheerful charade. And if she could manage not to have an asthma attack or pass out.

Gratefully, Annie sank into the chair she was directed to so the maids could work on her hair. Those shoes were definitely going to have to come off before the night was over. As she sat down, her vision was suddenly completely obscured by a blurred mass of pink and white fabric. Before she had time to react, she was smacked so hard in the nose that her eyes watered.

"What the hell?" she gasped, blinking and floundering in the sea of fabric that threatened to drown her. When she'd sat down, the hoops in her skirt had flown up and over her head, flashing the whole room with her poofy, white bloomers. A dozen hands immediately helped to smooth the unruly skirt back down, but not before she'd burst into a fit of breathy giggles that were all she could manage of a full belly-laugh in that damn corset.

"Oh, wow! So, how often does that happen at a formal dinner?" she gasped out, wiping away the tears streaming down her face. Eries looked less than amused, shooting disapproving glances at Millerna as she did her best to smother her own giggles.

"Never," the elder princess hissed. "And you will practice how to sit properly in that dress before coming down to dinner tonight. There is nothing _amusing_ in showing one's undergarments."

"Well, not usually," Annie conceded, the grin not fading from her face at all. "But you've got to admit, sometimes it can be downright hilarious."

Eries pursed her lips tightly. "Let us go and change for the evening, Millerna. Lady Annie, we shall see you this evening."

Quickly, the two princesses sailed out of the room, taking a contingent of maids with them as the left. Annie's smile faltered and died as her scalp was tugged unmercifully by her hairdressers.

Round One was done, but she couldn't tell if she'd won or not. It seemed like it ended in a draw. Her eyes glinted with steely determination and a deep, hidden amusement. Round Two- _Allen's _round- was sure to prove interesting.

Bring it on.

* * *

**AN: **_Okay, yeah. I know- the timeline's a little messed up with me stopping it here, but I think this chapter's more than long enough, huh? Next one might be a tiny bit heavier on the Annie part of the story to make up for it, though- since I've gotta do the evening supper thing with her yet and it's already done with Hitomi and Van. Sorry- but don't worry. There's lots of VxH to be had yet, and Dryden **will** be joining the fun very soon. Thanks for reading, and please- let me know what you think. Any suggestions or ideas would be most welcome! Freakin' writer's block!!!_


	5. You Really Shook Me!

**You Really Shook Me!**

**AN: **_I'm aliiiiiiiiiivvvvveee! Sort of. This chapter doesn't do a very good job of proving it, though. Sorry. Warning: There isn't a whole lot of VxH in this chapter, and I'm terribly sorry about that. I did warn you about that possibility after last chapter... Anyway, I'm trying really hard, honestly I am, but I'm so blocked up that my writer's block has turned into writer's constipation! So, this isn't great- but I wanted to post something. I promise more VxH next chapter. Really._

_Thanks for all the lovely reviews and encouragement! Obviously, I really need them right now if I'm ever going to get anywhere with this story.... so please hit that button at the bottom and give me some ideas!!!_

_

* * *

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**_Working double time  
On the seduction line  
She was one of a kind, she's just mine all mine  
Wanted no applause  
Just another course  
Made a meal out of me and came back for more  
Had to cool me down  
To take another round  
Now I'm back in the ring to take another swing...  
_**_(You Shook Me All Night Long: AC/DC)_

_

* * *

_

Hitomi sat on the edge of the massive bed, fear and excitement making her shiver delicately. Moonlight poured across the floor, illuminating the room in a soft, dim glow. The cool breeze wafting through the open window carressed her skin through the silky fabric of her very see-through nightgown.

This was it, the night she'd been waiting all her life for. Her wedding night. Soon, she would feel Van's touch, feel his fingers (and more!) exploring every inch of her. She trembled again in anticipation.

Suddenly, he was there, standing in front of her in all his lean, beautiful glory. His tanned skin glowed in the moonlight, and she had to crane her neck to see up into the shadows masking his face. She sighed in utter contentment when he reached out a hand to trace her face, grazing her lips with the pad of his thumb.

Slowly, suductively, he pushed her down into the pillowy softness of the bed. His lips drew a trail of fire from her earlobe to her collarbone, and she shivered in delight as his warm breath tickled her sensitive skin. Calloused fingers ghosted up and down her sides, along her legs, carressed her face, giving her goosebumps but never nearing the places she most needed touched. She squirmed impatiently under him, murmuring in protest as she tried to manuevre her body under his questing fingers.

What was the matter with him?

Suddenly, a group of old men, their faces hidden in shadow, ringed the bed. Hitomi shrieked in shock as she simultaneously tried to shove Van off of her and clutched him tighter as a shield. Van didn't seem to notice they were there at all, his mouth and fingers never slowing even when she swatted at him.

"...and may you be fruitful and multiply. May you bless this land with the children created from your love..." the old men droned in unison.

"What the hell _is_ this? What's going on?" Hitomi demanded as she struggled harder to push Van away from her. Merle suddenly appeared at the side of the bed, looking down her nose disapprovingly.

"It's the Fertility Blessing. It's tradition for the elders to witness the Royal Wedding Night, to make sure you're a virgin," she said firmly. "It'll be over soon. Just deal with it!"

"NO!" Hitomi shrieked wildly as the men's voices droned louder. "No, no, no, no, NO!"

Her legs tangled up in the long skirt of her sheer nightgown as she fought harder to get out from underneath Van. She pushed and shoved frantically, screaming the entire time.

_Whump_.

"Ouch, what the hell?..." Hitomi muttered. She blinked up at the dark ceiling of her bedroom; her legs still twisted up in her blankets on the bed while her head and shoulders rested on the hard wooden floor.

"Oh, god. It was just a dream," she exclaimed in a breathy, relieved whisper. Of course it had been only a dream. A nightmare! Van would never do something like that to her.

Would he?

Hitomi climbed back onto the bed, thumping her pillows viciously. There was no way Van would allow something like that. She was being stupid for even remotely questioning it. Merle, though... she could see Merle being all for it, if it was a Fanelian tradition.

Hitomi shuddered and wrapped her blankets tightly around herself, staring out the windows at the double moons hanging low in the sky. Dear lord, what had she gotten herself into? Was Van as worried about everything as she was?

On the other side of the castle, Van snored blissfully, lost in dreams of saunas and itsy bitsy green bikinis.

* * *

Annie sat, her hair curled, coiled, pinned, and poofed to perfection, waiting patiently for Round Two to start. She wasn't really thinking about what she would say or do, or making any kinds of plans. Things seemed to get a little crazier if she just acted spontaneously, anyway.

But those shoes! Those damn, pinchy, lacy shoes! She was going to break an ankle if she had to wobble around in those all night- or at least get a bad case of toe cramps. No, those suckers had to go.

Annie glanced around casually, taking a quick inventory of the maids still in the room with her. Not a single one of them was paying any real attention to her. It was like she was an enormous, living doll to be dressed up and moved around how they pleased and forgotten in between. At the moment, that was just fine with her.

Slowly, so as not to attract any attention, she lifted her massive skirt and slid her shoes off of her pinched feet. Whistling an innocent tune under her breath, she quickly kicked them under the heavily ruffled loveseat she was perched uncomfortably on. Flexing her mercifully bare toes against the plush carpet, she let her heavy skirts drop with a hugely satisfied grin. Problem numero uno solved!

Somewhere in the depths of the palace, a bell tolled with a loud, musical chime. The maids stopped their twittering conversations and approached Annie respectfully.

"The dinner bell, milady," one murmured gently, and Annie bounced to her feet. Her ribs creaked under her corset, and she grimaced.

"Oops. Forgot I can't move around in this thing," she muttered darkly to herself. Checking her bag for the fifteenth time to make sure her inhaler was safely tucked inside, she followed the maids as they glided gracefully out of the door. Not that the inhaler would do her a whole lot of good if she had an asthma attack anyway, since she couldn't take a deep enough breath to get the meds into her lungs. She scowled darkly for a moment. It would serve Allen (and Eries) right if she had an attack at the dinner table tonight.

The maids stopped her outside of a massive double door and whispered to her to wait until she was announced. Beyond the doors, Annie could hear muffled laughter and the clink of glasses. She tilted her head to the side and smirked mishieviously to herself. If she was going to crash and burn, it may as well be with a decent audience.

"Announcing Lady Annie of the Mystic Moon," a deep voice boomed, and the room fell silent as the doors swung open. Annie took a deep breath, lifted her small chin, and pasted her brightest smile on her face.

Round Two: GO!

Allen turned towards the doors as they opened, one hand protectively on Celena's delicate shoulder. He bit his lips to keep them from smirking at her new title: "_Lady _Annie". Ha! Only good manners kept him from snorting with derision.

Celena strained to see past the fat, overly dressed courtiers to catch her first glimpse of the Mystic Moon woman who'd given her the treasured photograph album. Allen smiled softly at her childlike excitement, but he was hard pressed not to stand on his toes and crane his neck to get a look, too. He could hardly contain his chuckles just imagining Annie's reaction to Austurian fashion. And she laughed at _his _uniform! It was positively understated compared to the courtier's fashions!

The crowd shifted, and he caught sight of her in all her lacy, poofy, pink magnificence. She was dressed from head to toe in all the finest Austuria had to offer- namely lace, and lots of it. Those sleeves were _enormous! _And her skirt! Allen thought the entire crew of the crusade might fit comfortably under that skirt. Not that any of them had any business getting under her skirt...

Her glossy, mahogany hair was coiled and pinned into beautifully artistic curls and swoops, leaving the slender curve of her neck and shoulders bare to show off her creamy skin. And more skin... why the hell had Eries and Millerna dressed her in something that showed off _that _much cleavage? Okay, so it wasn't really any more than what most of the women in the room were showing, but still! Allen could see the men in the room jostling to get a better eyeful, and his blood boiled.

Across the room, Annie caught his eye, and the huge, shit-eating grin on her face killed any remaining urge to chuckle. Good gods, she looked like she was actually _enjoying _this! It wasn't fair! She was supposed to be uncomfortable, maybe even a little angry, but definitely not happy! Ugh! She just didn't make any sense to him.

"She's _beautiful,_" Celena sighed, and Allen was forced to agree, albeit very reluctantly. His plan was completely backfiring!

Eries moved swiftly to Annie's side, propeling her through the crowd as she introduced her to everyone of importance. Allen didn't know whether to laugh or groan at the astonished looks on the courtier's faces when she grabbed each of their hands and gave them a hearty shake instead of curtsying. He watched as she smiled and laughed, batting her eyelashes just so and throwing him the occasional glance as if to say, "see? I can behave myself!".

She was behaving herself a little too well, perhaps. Already a few of the more vicious ladies were throwing venemous glances her way after she'd charmed more than half of the men in the room in under five miets. Really, it was embarrassing how even the elderly gentlemen were falling over themselves to get a chance to meet her. Pompous old coots. What on earth was Annie saying to them that had Princess Eries about to go into conniptions?

Eries caught sight of Allen and hustled Annie forward abruptly. "Ah, Sir Allen. It's an honor to have you here tonight."

"The pleasure is mine. Thank you for the invitation," he replied formally, giving his perfect bow. Celena bobbed a curtsy at the princess, but her eyes were glued to Annie's grinning face. Before any proper introductions could be made, Annie leaned forward and grabbed her hand.

"You must be Celena. I'm Annie," she exclaimed cheerfully, her eyes twinkling with delight. "Your brother stayed with me on Earth. I'm so glad I actually got to meet you!"

"You wanted to meet me?" Celena gasped in awe, and Annie beamed at her.

"Heck, yeah! I'd hug you, but I think we'd just bounce off of each other like two giant beach balls in these get-ups!" she laughed. Celena blinked at her, an astonished smile hitching up the corners of her mouth.

Allen couldn't stop the tiny smirk on his face. "How are you enjoying Austurian fashions, _Lady_ Annie?"

"Oh, they're fabulous, _Sir_ Allen," she returned with the same sugary sweetness coating her voice as his. "I've always wanted to try on a dress like this."

"I think your dress is beautiful," Celena said shyly, still staring hesitantly at the beaming Annie.

"Isn't it wild? I feel like a bell-" she swung her hips so the skirt mimicked the movement of a hand bell as Eries and Allen stared at her in shock- "And I'm not sure, but I think I might be missing half of my top. My aunts would never let me out of the house with this much chest showing!"

Eries turned white, completely speechless, and Allen groaned inaudibly. Didn't Annie realize that half the room was listening surreptitiously to her every word? Specifically, the male half of the room? Allen gave her a significant glare and had to stifle another groan. Oh, she knew alright, if that mischievious twinkle in her eye was anything to go by. She was playing a dirty game that he couldn't hope to win, unless he somehow managed to shut her up. Which, quite frankly, was less likely than Eries suddenly professing her undying love for the Mole Man.

Annie watched Allen unsuccessfully trying to hide his astonished horror, her shark grin growing larger by the second as she curled her bare toes against the cold stone floor. Oh, this was _way_ too easy. They put her into this ridiculous outfit. It was only fair that she found a way to use it to her advantage.

The only problem was that horrific corset. She was having a tough time breathing, let alone talking in a normal voice. Her hands itched to pull out her inhaler, even though she knew it wouldn't really do any good. And the way Allen kept eyeing her overflowing bodice like he couldn't help himself wasn't helping, either. It made her breathing hitch funnily, and that actually hurt like hell in the torture device hidden under her dress.

"Princess Millerna Sara Aston Fassa," announced the guard, and the doors swung open to reveal the glorious beauty of the princess.

Millerna paused dramatically in the doorway, standing still just long enough to make the perfect impression. Her long, golden curls were piled on top of her head like a magnificent crown, and the curve of her neck was as graceful as a swan's. Her powder blue dress was just as fancy as Annie's, dripping with lace and glittering with jewels. She glided across the room gracefully, her enormous skirt giving the impression that she was floating rather than walking. All in all, she was the most beautiful person anyone had ever seen.

"Wow. Now there's a woman who can make an entrance," Annie murmured appreciatively. Millerna may have been dressed in the same ridiculously ostentatious style as she was, but the princess actually had the height and figure to pull it off.

Spotting their little group, Millerna glided through the small crowd toward them. She held out her hand to Allen, and he took it lightly, bowing to graze her knuckles with his lips with the barest of touches.

"You look lovely, as usual, Princess," he murmured and was suddenly very conscious of Annie giving a tiny snort of amusement. He straightened abruptly, his back ramrod stiff as he gave her a disapproving glance. At least, he meant it to be disapproving. His eyes wandered accidentally below her shoulders to her impressive, ahem, _display_, and the disapproval vanished like haze under a hot sun. _Damn _it!

"Isn't this exciting? When Father's advisors heard about Annie, they insisted on all of this-" she waved a perfectly manicured hand vaguely at the assembled courtiers. "I'm so glad we chose that dress for you, Annie. Doesn't she look perfect, Allen?"

Once more, his eyes strayed momentarily to Annie's plunging neckline before he could stop himself. Pursing his lips, he trained his gaze to a point on the far wall and gave a very noncommittal "hm".

"I think so," Celena murmured bashfully, and Annie leaned over to link their arms together.

"Why, thank you, Celena. I feel like I'm just a spiky crown and a magic wand away from Glenda in _Oz,_" she laughed, shooting a glance at the silent Eries. "So, are you a good witch, or a bad witch?"

"I beg your pardon?" Eries gasped, as Celena, Millerna, and Allen glanced at each other in confusion.

"That's Glenda's famous line from the movie, after Dorothy squishes the Wicked Witch under her house," Annie explained, merely succeeding in confusing them further. Another bell chimed, and the crowd of courtiers stopped milling around and headed expectantly through another set of double doors. Millerna slid her arm through Allen's familiarly and began moving toward the door. He, for his part, played the perfect, chivalrous gentleman as he escorted her to her seat.

Annie rolled her eyes and smirked a little behind his back, keeping her arms linked with his bashful sister as they followed, Eries on Celena's other side.

"So, did you like the present I sent for you? Or did Allen confiscate it?" she asked the pretty girl cheerily.

"Oh, no. I love it. Allen tells me stories about the Mystic Moon from the pictures almost every day!" Celena told her, a real smile lighting up her face. Annie looked at her in astonishment, stopping dead in her tracks.

"Celena! You're smiling! Allen said you didn't smile..." she trailed off abruptly, glancing sheepishly at Allen's back. Celena tilted her head with a confused look, her lips slipping down into a slight frown.

"That book makes her smile. Right, Celena?" Eries murmured gently. Celena gave an infintismal nod, and Annie grinned at her as they started walking toward the enormous table again.

"Well, good. You've got a pretty smile. You should do it more often," she declared cheerfully. "I'll bet Allen doesn't tell you _all_ of the stories, or at least, he probably leaves the best parts out. I'll have to tell you how things really happened."

Unfortunately, Celena was seated next to her brother, and Annie was closer to the head of the table, directly across from Meiden Fassa and surrounded by two of the fattest, most pompous advisors Austuria had to offer. Allen would've chuckled at her unfortunate seating arrangement, but the way the men kept staring down her bodice made him crack his knuckles surreptitiously under the table in fury. Those damn, dirty perverts were old enough to be her father!

Everyone stood formally while King Aston entered the room and huffed his way regally to his chair at the head of the table. Annie had to bite her lips hard to keep from giggling. The tubby king was decked out in almost as many ruffles and bunches of lace as the ladies of the court, and the little hat with the enormous feather jutting out perched on his round head wasn't helping matters. His double chin wobbled as he gave the order to sit, and Annie couldn't help but think he looked like an elaborately dressed bowl of jello. She would never laugh at Allen's uniform again. At least, not really. She'd still have to give him hell about it whenever she got the chance.

Everyone sat down in a rustle of silk and expensive fabrics, and Annie was secretly a tiny bit disappointed that her skirt didn't come flying up to smack her in the face. It would've added a bit of fun to an otherwise tedious evening...

"How was that, Eries? I practised," she said to the shocked princess with an innocent smile.

"Practised, my dear?" the courtier on her left asked, his eyes once more straying to her cleavage. Annie resisted the urge to squirm under his squicky gaze and smiled sweetly at him.

"Mm. I practiced sitting. The first time I tried, my skirt flew up over my head! It took two maids to get me out of it!"

If proper etiquette had allowed, Eries might have smacked her head on the table. As it was, she merely clenched her linen napkin in a white-knuckled grip and tried to change the subject.

"Lady Annie is King Van's bride's dearest friend," she said smoothly. "She will be traveling to Fanelia with my sister and I at the end of the week."

"Ah, yes. Lady Hitomi Kanzaki of the Mystic Moon. Lord Van is a lucky man," Meiden Fassa murmured quietly, his eyes fastened on Annie with a calculating look. Annie stared back at him with a sweet smile and a cold glare in her wide, dark eyes. This was the man who'd supposedly 'bought' Hitomi from King Aston and nearly kidnapped her in the night. Thank god for Merle and Van, or who knew what this calculating merchant would have done with her.

"So, how exactly do you know Fanelia's future queen?" he quiered, and Annie found herself wishing she had left those awful shoes on so she could 'accidently' kick him under the table.

"We were college roommates," she said tersely, but then was forced into a long explanation about what, exactly, a college was and why, in heaven's name, did ladies like Hitomi and herself need a higher education.

"And what is it that you are studying?" Meiden asked mockingly, his chin resting on his steepled fingers as he continued to assess her with that coldly calculating stare. Annie pursed her lips, wishing there was a way out of giving him any information.

"Music," she finally told him, and his smile made her skin crawl.

"Ah. Then before you leave us, you will have to grace us with your talents," he murmured, and she hoped he didn't notice her tiny shudder. That was definitely not going to happen, if she had any say in the matter.

"My dear, are you not hungry? You've hardly sampled your plate," puffed the courtier sitting on her right. "Here, you must try this. It is an Austurian delicacy."

Annie eyed the grey goop arranged artfully on thin slices of some kind of vegetable and shook her head.

"Oh, no thank you. I'm sure it's delicious, but there's only so much room under this corset, you know. Don't want to risk popping out of it!"

Eries turned as white as the tablecloth, and three seats down, Allen's mouth thinned into a tight line. Annie herself almost regretted her words as the courtier's eyes fastened on her chest with a greedy stare. _Almost_. What was dealing with a few lusty looks compared to making Eries and Allen squirm a little?

At the head of the table, King Aston finished his meal and stood, the signal for the courtiers to follow him into first room for after-dinner drinks and mingling. Allen caught Annie's arm and nonchalantly pulled her out of the crowd to a semi-private corner of the room.

"Annie, what in Jichia's name are you doing? Do you think at all before you open your mouth?" he hissed at her angrily, and she blinked innocently at him.

"What are you talking about? I was just making conversation. It's not my fault you Austurian men are perverts."

"Please do not put me on the same level as those men you were sitting next to," he snarled.

"Why not? You're looking, too," Annie said in a loud, conspiratal whisper to him, smirking broadly. Inadvertantly, his eyes shot down to her bodice, and he turned away quickly, ignoring her amused snort.

"What do you expect, when you're dressed like _that_?" he demanded accusingly, waving a hand in the general direction of her chest without actually daring to look at her again. Annie tilted her head, put her fists on her hips, and gave him a serious glare. Unfortunately, the twinkling mirth in her eyes gave her away.

"You know what I think? I think it was your idea to get me dressed up in this prom dress from hell in the first place, and now your little plan is backfiring on you," she drawled, one eyebrow quirked as her shark grin crept lazily across her face. Allen could feel the telltale burn of red in the tips of his ears and offered a silent prayer of thanks that his long hair covered them up.

"That's utter nonsense. Why would I care what you're dressed in?" he mumbled unconvincingly, and his ears burned redder under Annie's laughing grin. Millerna glided up to them, pulling an overwhelmed looking Celena with her.

"Allen, you can't keep our guest of honor all to yourself. She's barely gotten to talk to anyone," she pouted prettily at him.

Allen bowed slightly, obviously in no mood for Millerna's small talk. "Your forgiveness, Princess. If you'll excuse me?..."

Millerna gave a bewildered nod, and he disappeared quickly through the crowd before another word was spoken. Annie's grin spread from ear to ear as she watched him retreat, the princess and Celena exchanging confused glances in his wake.

"Well, what's the matter with him?" Millerna wondered out loud.

"Oh, he's just jealous because my sleeves are poofier than his," Annie told them casually, and laughed at the dumbfounded expression on the princess's face.

The laughter died abruptly as the three of them were suddenly surrounded by a mob of twittering court ladies. Celena looked like she couldn't decide if she wanted to melt into a puddle on the floor or run screaming out of the room, and Annie couldn't blame her. What a fakey bunch of vipers!

They gushed over Millerna's dress and hairstyle before turning the full force of their falsely friendly attention onto the brown-haired oddity from the Mystic Moon. She was hard pressed to keep her smile plastered on her face as they went on and on in admiration of her ridiculous gown.

"Oh, you need to see the shoes I found for her to wear. Right Annie?" Millerna exclaimed rapturously, and Annie's eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh. Yes... they're really something," she agreed, stalling for time even as she tried to smother a laugh. Oh dear. Eries might just keel over dead when Millerna forced her to show the room that she wasn't wearing any shoes! The ladies all looked at her in expectation, and she blinked innocently.

"Well... why don't you show them to everyone?" Millerna finally said, a hint of confusion trickling into her voice.

Annie thought for a moment, wrinkling up her nose. "How about tomorrow?"

"Oh, no. We want to see them with your dress," one of the ladies crooned, and everyone leaned in just a tiny bit closer. Annie wished she had room to step back; they were making her feel claustrophobic.

"Just show them," Millerna insisted.

Annie shrugged, unable to stop the amused grin from tugging up the corners of her mouth. "Okay, you asked for it."

She lifted the massive skirt, and the ladies jostled each other to get the first glimpse of the promised shoes. Instead, they got a good look at her multi-colored toenails and tiny, bare feet. She had to bite her lips to keep from giggling at their shocked expressions.

"Annie! What happened to your shoes?" Millerna finally gasped out after she'd dropped her skirts back into place. Once more, she shrugged nonchalantely.

"They weren't very comfortable, so I took them off. I think they're under the sofa."

She grinned broadly as the room erupted into a low buzz of whispers. Eries materialized at her side, the stark white of her face at odds with her calm expression.

"You must be exhausted, Lady Annie. It's been such a shocking day for you," she said sweetly. Her eyes ordered the smaller girl to agree _or else_.

"Oh. Right. Absolutely," Annie agreed after catching the warning in the elder princess' glare. Under normal circumstances, there was no way she would have agreed to bow out so soon, but things were hardly normal. That dress was getting heavier by the second, and the thrice-accursed corset seemed to be _shrinking_. As amusing as it might be, she didn't really want to deal with a full-blown asthma attack tonight.

Demurely, she allowed herself to be led back to her rooms, giggling to herself a little when she imagined the gossip likely to be flying around the crowded room she'd just left. Honestly, it was too bad Eries had had the foresight to make sure she wasn't served more than one glass of vino. Things might have gotten _really_ fun if she could've pulled a Hitomi and gotten trashed during dinner!

Once the torturous corset was unlaced, Annie gulped a few much needed deep breaths of air. The nightgown the maids gave her was almost as ridiculous as her dress had been- all lace and silk and nearly see-through in the moonlight. Victoria's Secret would've been put to shame. Shrugging, Annie tugged it on and tumbled into bed, absurdly thankful when the last maid finally left and closed the door quietly behind her.

"What a mess," she groaned into her pillow, and then smirked to herself when she remembered Allen stalking off through the crowd. Score one for her! And maybe, just maybe, if she made herself enough of a headache, they'd speed up their schedule and bring her to Fanelia before the end of the week.

Yeah. That would be the plan, then. Because a whole week of being strapped into a corset just was _not _an option. The future taken care of, Annie rolled over and promptly fell asleep.


	6. Scandalous

**Scandalous**

**AN: **_Whoohoo! I'm finally working through my writer's constipation! Sort of. But I've got a few chapters planned out, so things should flow a little smoother now, for me at least. Thanks to all of you for your continued support and all of your splendid ideas! I really appreciate it!  
PS: The idea for an entire Van-angsty day came from Jacks-Peapod. Thanks JP!  
Disclaimer: Me no ownies. Except Annie! Hahaha! I __**own**__ her!  
...yeah..._

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__**The way you move so scandalous  
It's all about the two of us...**  
(Scandalous by Mis Teeq)_

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Van had never been so unwilling to wake up in his entire life. It felt like the whole night had been one unending stream of completely, scandalously, inappropriate dreams all centered on Hitomi and her marvelous, tiny, green bikini- or lack thereof. The only problem was, now that he was awake, the vague memories of it floating across his consciousness weren't going to help him get through the day at all. It wasn't as if he was going to get some quality 'alone time' with Hitomi any time soon. Damn Merle and his advisers and everyone else who had a hand in this stupid, ridiculous wedding!

He threw his clothes on haphazardly and bolted out of his room, about to be late for breakfast, which might be the only chance he had to see Hitomi. Although, really, could a king be late for anything in his own castle? Van supposed the answer to that was a resounding _yes_, especially right now when everything that constituted his future, both personal and private, was being controlled and scrutinized to the last, unimportant detail.

He skidded to a halt outside the breakfast room and smoothed his unruly hair ineffectively. Hitomi, his beautiful, astonishing Hitomi, was just beyond that door, and he resisted the urge to barrel through it just to reassure himself that she hadn't disappeared overnight. But that kind of behavior would hardly do; he wasn't about to let her see how ridiculously happy he was just to have breakfast with her.

Composing his face into what he hoped was a nuetrally bland mask that mimicked the one Allen so often wore, he reached out to open the door.

"My Lord Van!" puffed a servant that Van recognized as being one of his advisor's lackeys. "I have some documents for you to look over, and a few-"

"_Later_," Van growled, shooting the man a dark, violent glare. The poor man blinked in surprise and backed away hastily.

"Of- of course, my lord. Later," he stammered, before turning and retreating swiftly down the hallway. Van took another deep breath, erased the scowl from his face, and flung the door open with as much casual nonchalance as he could muster.

But all his efforts to impress were completely, utterly, and totally wasted- unless he could count the two serving maids waiting in the room. For a moment, all he could do was stare at the unoccupied, elaborately set table for two in disappointment. So much for making a grand entrance.

The maids curtsied respectfully, but he barely noticed them as he schlumped his way over to his chair and flung himself down with a barely concealed pout. Where the hell was Hitomi? He'd pulled himself out of his amazingly delicious dreams and rushed around like a madman so that he wouldn't waste one precious second of their limited time together, and she wasn't even here yet!

Briefly, he considered sending one of the maids to retrieve the advisor's servant, just so he could look important and busy when Hitomi finally showed up. Before he could act on it, the far door opened, and Merle and a pack of swarming maids ushered a flustered-looking Hitomi into the room.

He should have stood up to greet her. He _knew_ that was what protocol and etiquette called for, but there was no way in hell he could manage that at the moment without embarrassing himself completely. The moment she'd walked in, all his exquisite, highly inappropriate dreams rushed into his head, and all the blood in his body rushed... elsewhere. And Fanelian men wore fitted pants. _Damn _it. Was this how bad it was going to be until they were finally married??

Thankfully, Hitomi didn't seem to notice, and she took her seat with a sheepish, apologetic smile in his direction.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Van. It wasn't exactly my fault," she told him, shooting a murderous glance in Merle's direction. The cat merely shrugged and excused herself, taking all but the two serving maids with her.

Ah, of course. Merle. He should have known. Not trusting himself to speak yet, he made a valiant attempt at a casual nod. Honestly, he was terrified if he tried talking, his voice would either come out embarrassingly husky or crack like a pre-pubescent boy.

There was a long, awkward silence as their plates were filled and they tentatively started eating. Van grimaced to himself and wondered if the tension between them was due to more than just the uncomfortably forced situation they were in at the moment. The two maids standing attentively by the wall certainly weren't helping things, and neither was the great expanse of table between them. They'd practically have to shout just to hear each other.

Hitomi pushed her food around her plate disinterestedly before looking up to give him a hesitant smile. "So... um, did you sleep well last night?"

Oh, great gods! She just _had_ to ask him _that! _Van shifted slightly, surreptitiously covering his lap with his large linen napkin and forcing his brain to push back the images dancing across his mind's-eye.

"Fine, thank you," his voice cracked abominably, just like he'd dreaded, and he cleared his throat loudly. "Did you?"

"Oh, alright," she murmured so quietly he could barely hear her. A slight blush creeped into her cheeks, and she dropped her eyes to the food she was mixing around on her plate. Van cocked his head to the side, studying her fidgeting movements with interest. Could it possibly be that she had some of the same kinds of dreams that he had?

This was stupid. On the Mystic Moon, they'd spent endless hours in each other's company, and now they could barely form a sentence, much less carry on a conversation. Abruptly, Van pushed his chair back from the table and stood up. Hitomi eyed him with surprised confusion as he quickly picked up his chair and set it firmly down on the left side of the table right next to hers. Van ignored the startled, uncertain looks the maids were giving each other as he settled himself comfortably and nodded.

"There. That's better," he said with immense satisfaction. Hitomi gaped at him for a moment and glanced nervously at the maids before she giggled.

"Absolutely better," she agreed and rewarded him with a beaming smile.

They ate in silence for a while, but now it was a comfortable, happy one instead of the strained, awkward atmosphere they'd started in. As often as he dared to run the risk of being caught staring, Van spent the majority of the time watching her eat instead of eating himself. His dreams really hadn't done her justice at all, he concluded. She was far more amazing in real life, although annoyingly more covered-up than his dream Hitomi. Her eyes flicked up at him, and they both blushed scarlet when she caught him staring.

"Do I look that strange like this?" she questioned in a nervous, hesitant voice. Van couldn't manage to do more than blink at her in surprised confusion for several long seconds.

"Strange? That's not at all what I was thinking," he blurted out, his traiterous mouth forming the words before he could stop himself. Hitomi stared at him with expectant trepidation, obviously waiting for him to tell her what, exactly, he _had _been thinking about. And there was no way in the seven levels of hell that he was going to do _that_.

"I think... you look..." he licked his lips nervously, trying hard to figure out something devastatingly complimentary to say to her, something Allen would've been able to come up with on the fly. But he really didn't know how to _say _anything like that. How was he supposed to tell her that just seeing her sitting there in her simple, beautiful Fanelian-style dress made his insides twist up in the most pleasurable way possible? How could he explain how he felt to see her like that, like she had become a Fanelian now, instead of always belonging to a world so painfully removed from his own?

"I like it. I really like it," he finally finished quietly. The words were embarrassingly lame, but the fervent honesty behind them was real. And Hitomi, as always, seemed to pick up on that, and her eyes glowed with pleasure. Instinctively, he leaned forward to close the gap between their lips.

"Lord Van, the council meeting is about to begin," announced a servant, bowing deeply from the doorway.

Beside him, a maid curtsied and murmured, "Lady Hitomi, the dressmakers are ready for your first fitting."

Sighing with ill-concealed frustration, Van pushed his chair heavily back from the table and stood up. Hitomi gave him a tiny pout, but she took his outstretched hand and rose gracefully to her feet as well.

"Will I see you later?" she asked him quietly, her green eyes glittering hopefully.

"I don't know. I hope so," he answered honestly. "Merle's got every minute planned, I'm sure."

Hitomi grimaced, and he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. At the door, the servant cleared his throat meaningfully, and Van had to fight the urge to glare daggers at him. All the same, he dropped Hitomi's hand reluctantly and followed the servant out of the room.

Council meeting. Wonderful. Another detailed account and boring hash-through of the upcoming ceremonies, with a whole lot of haggling and last-minute changes and additions thrown in for good measure. He had to remind himself that it couldn't possibly be any worse than Hitomi's dress fittings as he strode purposefully to his seat in the Council Room.

"What's on the list for today, gentlemen?" he asked politely as he waved them into their seats. The head of the council stood up and cleared his throat, looking decidedly awkward. Van eyed him with trepidation, wondering just what they'd come up with now that had the man looking so incredibly uncomfortable.

"My Lord Van," he began slowly, then stopped and glanced around the table for support. Several men nodded, and he cleared his throat again. Now Van was getting really nervous.

"It is a sad and unfortunate fact that your esteemed father passed on in your early childhood. We all know that Lord Balgus became a father-figure to you, until he was lost to us during your younger years as well-" he paused, and Van merely stared at him in confusion. Where the hell was the man going with all this?

"That being said, it has become obvious to us, your council, that you may be lacking certain information- knowledge- passed on from father to son. My Lord Van, there are things a man, er, needs to know before taking a wife."

Great Dragon God! Van turned pale and swallowed desperately against the breakfast threatening to revisit him. His council was actually trying to educate him on the finer points of sex?? It wasn't possible. It just couldn't be happening!

"I don't think this is necessary..." he began weakly, but the head council man ignored him and began pacing around the room.

"Though the most important aspect of physical love between a man and a woman is the procreation of children-" he shot a pointed look at Van's horrified face before continuing- "there is much to be said about the pleasure that is naturally derived from the act...."

Van wished desperately that he could bury his burning face in his hands, or at least stuff his gloves in his ears. The council member droned on in a clinical description of 'the ultimate act of love', as he put it, and Van surpressed a hysterical laugh at the difference between his descriptions and the things he'd learned from the crew of the _Crusade._ Oh, he already knew _all_ about everything his council was trying to educate him on. The crew had made absolutely, mortifyingly certain of that. Not to mention the Kama Sutra Annie had given him. Not that he'd ever admit to studying it's pages during the long month he was separated from Hitomi.

After his first five "I already know all this" and "This isn't necessary" comments went ignored, he gave up trying to stop them. He slumped down into his seat to hear them out with a stony, agonized expression frozen to his face and wished fervently that he could exchange places with Hitomi. At least they weren't pulling out any visual demonstrations or charts.

"...the importance of producing heirs for the throne," the councilman reminded him emphatically as he mercifully drew his embarrassing speech to a close. He merely smiled benignly while Van bored holes in his skull with his glare, completely satisfied now that he'd done his duty to his king and country.

"Are you finished?" Van snapped acidly when his entire council looked at him expectantly. Like hell he was going to _thank_ them for their unneeded and unasked-for 'education'.

"Quite finished, my lord. Now, if we could move on to..."

The meeting dragged on, and Van steeped in his mortified indignation until it was over and he could bolt out of the room. Who the hell did those crotchety old men think they were, anyway? Gods, he was 21 cycles old. If he didn't know how to go about making a baby with a woman, then he had no business getting married in the first place!

And from their dull-as-dust descriptions, he wondered if maybe he could teach _them_ a thing or two, even though he'd never actually... _finished _the job. Their poor wives.

If Van had hoped to see Hitomi over the noon-hour, he was destined to be disappointed. He spent his meal at his desk, hastily gulping down a few bites of food in between signing documents, approving accomodations for the more important guests set to be arriving shortly before the wedding, and weirdly, choosing a menu for himself and Hitomi for the two days following the ceremonies. He wasn't sure what to make of that; usually he just showed up at the table at the appointed times and ate whatever was there without thinking about it too much. Ah, well. The entire country had gone crazy.

Thankfully, half of his afternoon was taken up with touring the castle, the grounds, and the areas being set up for the ceremonies with his chief of security and general of the army. Listening to their plans for the safety and security of not only himself and Hitomi, but their multitude of noble guests was infinitely preferable to _anything_ the council could come up with. And after that morning's fiasco, he'd rather not have to face any of those men for a long, long time.

"Is something wrong, my lord? Your face has gone very red," commented his security chief, squinting at him through the glare of the mid-day sun.

Van squeezed the hilt of his sword in a white-knuckled grip and wished it was his head council man's neck. "I'm fine. Please continue," he growled.

Giving him a vaguely bewildered look, the security chief began again, only to be interrupted by a servant running breathlessly up to them.

"My lord Van, it is time for your fittings," he gasped out with a bow. Van stared at him uncomprehendingly.

"My what?"

"Your fittings, my lord. For your wedding clothes," the servant explained patiently.

"Oh. Unfortunately, I'm in the middle of-" Van returned hastily, desperately trying to find a way out of it.

His general cut him off. "Not at all, Lord Van. We can resume this at a later time."

The security chief nodded in agreement, and Van had the violent urge to decapitate them both. Out of plausible arguments, he turned on his heel and marched along behind the scurrying servant. This was Merle's doing, he was sure of it. For the last few years, she was always nagging at him to dress more appropriately, _regally,_ as befitted his position as the king of Fanelia. Van still preferred a pair of comfortable pants and a loose, thin shirt.

An hour later, he had a much healthier understanding of just what kind of horrors his poor Hitomi was suffering at the hands of the nefarious cat-girl. Arms up, arms down, put this on, take that off, it was never ending! And he could've sworn those pins they were using were as long as one of his fingers, and those evil tailors stabbed him with one whenever he fidgeted just the tiniest bit.

"We've finished, my lord. You may take that outfit off," the head tailor informed him, and Van sagged with relief.

"Thank the Dragon," he muttered to himself as he shrugged out of the heavy material. A servant handed him a folded piece of cloth, but instead of the shirt he had been wearing all day, it was another overly elaborate shirt of thick, silky fabric.

"What is this? I thought you were finished," he exclaimed in exasperation as the servant motioned for him to put it on.

"Oh, no, my lord. I merely meant we were finished with your _first _outfit."

Van gritted his teeth against the protesting groan rising up his throat and shoved the shirt over his head roughly. Once he'd gotten the rest of the outfit on, the endless pinning, measuring, and scrutinizing began again. A needle jabbed him in the thigh when he fidgeted again, and he scowled down at the innocent expression on the tailor's face. He was going to be a bloody pin cushion before this was over!

The sun was low in the sky before he was finally- _finally_- handed his familiar, comfortable clothes and told he was free to go. He scowled heavily to himself as he headed off down the corridors toward his own rooms. So far today, he'd been treated like a brainless child, subjected to a ridiculously embarrassing lecture, dressed up like a doll and pricked an unnecessary amount of times, and worst of all, he'd barely gotten to see Hitomi, much less touch her. He'd better get to see her this evening, or so help him, he was going to find Merle and shave her bald.

Protocol demanded that he change for supper, and he took the fact that no one had laid out an overly formal outfit for him as a good sign. It seemed that after the elaborate banquet last night, tonight's meal was going to be the usual casual affair. Quickly, he changed into a black pair of pants, and a red, silky shirt that's only difference between his usual day shirt was that it had short sleeves and had one black, twisted knot at the top instead of the usual khaki-colored strings. Hitomi had seemed to like the red/black combo on him when he was on the Mystic Moon, so he was hoping she'd think he looked good in this, too. Actually, he was just hoping she'd be there at all, never mind how he looked.

He was a little later than usual thanks to the fittings torture as he strode his way into the dining room. It was much smaller than the enormous banquet hall, but it was still large enough to accommodate a large, highly polished wooden table that could seat twenty people comfortably. Every seat was filled now, and they rose to their feet respectfully as he entered the room. The person at the far end of the table, directly across from his at the head, stood up a second later than everyone else, and Van had to stifle a smile when he saw the blush creeping up Hitomi's cheeks. That sheepish, apologetic look really made her seem irresistably adorable, but besides that, he was just thrilled she was there at all!

Only... she was seated at the exact opposite end of the table from him. There was no way they could even talk to each other now! Van ground his teeth together in frustration as he took his seat, and everyone followed his lead. The meal started, and he ate in a brooding silence broken only by the dictates of etiquette when he was forced to answer a polite enquiry by his neighbors. Across the table, he could see the advisors and their wives seated close to Hitomi engaging her in conversation, and it only made him more frustrated. Who's idea of a sick joke _was _this? Did they have any idea how cruel it was to make him watch other people talking to her without being able to do that himself?

_Merle. _Damn that cat. She smiled brightly at him from her place by Hitomi, and he glared heavily back at her. Oh, he was going to skin her alive. He was going to lock her in the dungeons and swallow the key! He was going to-

The meal was over and Hitomi was being led away before he had a chance to scramble out of his seat after her. Diving through the small crowd of people, he grabbed Merle's arm and yanked her off to the side of the room.

"What's the matter, Lord Van?" she asked innocently.

"What's the matter? What's the- Merle! What the hell are you doing? At least let me _talk_ to Hitomi!" he hissed at her angrily.

"Right now? You can't, Lord Van! There's about a hundred things Hitomi needs to do, and I want her to get to bed early tonight, too. Those dark rings under her eyes _have_ to be gone before the ceremony starts, and she's got to soak in a milk bath tonight, and-"

"Merle," Van growled warningly. "Are you _trying_ to scare her away?"

She blinked at him, surprised. "What? No! How can you say that? I'm just trying to-"

"Then let me see her!" Van interrupted harshly. "Please, Merle. Ineed to see her!"

Merle's shoulders slumped, and Van knew he had her. His adopted sister never could refuse him anything.

"Oh, alright," she agreed reluctantly. He grinned hugely at her, and she scowled, jabbing him in the chest with one pointed nail. "But just for a little bit! And no touchy-feely stuff!"

"Thank you, Merle!" Van breathed fervently, and she rolled her eyes at him.

"Huh, maybe it'll shut Hitomi up. She's been begging to see you all day. Meet us by the waterfall pond in fifteen minutes."

Her tail disappeared around the door, and Van barely resisted the urge to pump his fist in the air and shout victoriously. He did his best to look casual as he wandered through the castle to one of the doors leading out into the gardens, but once he was out of anyone's sight, his feet fairly flew over the ground in his haste. He was going to see her! He was going to see her without a bunch of snoopy, nosy servants hanging around watching their every move! Just a nosy Merle...

Reaching the pond, he stopped and leaned against a tree to catch his breath. The light from the two moons glittered on the ever-moving surface of the clear water, and he tipped his head back to study the magnificent night sky. It wasn't long before he heard quiet, stealthy footsteps coming up behind him. He stayed where he was, hoping to look confident and relaxed instead of the jangling bundle of nerves he really was.

Either it worked, or Hitomi didn't care either way, because suddenly she ran the last few steps up to him and wrapped her slender arms around his waist. Screw being casual and relaxed! He wound his arms around her and pressed her body into his tightly, burying his face in her hair so he could drown himself in her scent.

"Van..." she murmured happily into his chest, and he grinned like a fool into her honey tresses.

"Oh, for goodness sake!" Merle complained with a roll of her eyes. Van lifted his head enough to crack an irritated eye at her.

"Go away, Merle," he commanded, though it actually sounded a little bit more like begging. "Please? Just ten miets. Five miets?"

She glared at him, her hands planted firmly on her hips. He lifted his head to give her his best puppy-dog eyes, and she threw her hands up in defeat.

"Fine! Five! But _only_ five. And you keep your hands to yourself!!"

She scampered away through the trees and Hitomi giggled softly into his shirt.

"How'd you manage that? I've been trying to get her to leave me alone all day!" she exclaimed ruefully. Van grimaced to himself as he wound his fingers through her silky hair.

"Has it been awful?"

He held his breath as he waited for her answer. It scared him to think that her first days in Fanelia were unhappy. What if she decided he wasn't worth it after all and demanded to be sent back to the Mystic Moon?

"No, not really. Just different," she finally replied in a small, wistful voice. "It would be easier if I could see you more often."

"I know, Hitomi. Believe me, I know," Van replied fervently, once again burying his face in her hair to hide his own grimace. Although, when he really thought about it, having Hitomi there for that horrific 'sex talk' would've made things unbearably more difficult.

"Did you have a bad day, too?" she wanted to know in a slightly amused, slightly sympathetic voice. He hesitated, then decided to go with an easy answer.

"Just long. Very, very long without you," he replied honestly without going into any details. He could only imagine how mortified she would be if she found out about his council giving him baby-making tips.

Apparently, his answer was just about the best one he could've made, judging by the shining look on Hitomi's face as she pulled away just far enough to see his face. Maybe he wasn't so horrible with this romance thing after all. Nothing near Allen's uncanny knack for the sport, but at least he wasn't tanking miserably.

Unable to resist any longer, he leaned down to brush his lips gently across hers. He wasn't prepared for her passionate reaction and he had to scramble to keep his balance without breaking the hot, insistent pressure of their mouths. Her hands buried themselves into his hair, clinging to him, as he took a step or two backwards so he could lean his back against the tree for support.

Suddenly, his foot dangled out into nothingness, and he toppled backwards with Hitomi still clinging onto him. Icy water closed over top of them as they hit the pond with a resounding splash, and Van swallowed a mouthful of water as their lips broke apart in shock. They surfaced together, spluttering and coughing as they worked their way to the rocky edge. Van couldn't stop staring at the way Hitomi's dress now clung to her like a second skin as he helped her out of the freezing water, and his lips hiked up into a rogueish grin.

"What?" asked Hitomi, an embarrassed blush creeping over her cheeks at the decided gleam in his eyes.

"You look good wet," he replied simply, and her blush glowed crimson in the moonlight. Self-consciously, she tried to pull the sticking material away from her body, but he caught her hands and tugged her into his arms. He could feel her body heat seeping through her wet dress, and it threatened to destroy his fragile hold on his self-control.

"You don't look to bad yourself. No drowning us this time," Hitomi told him huskily right before she leaned up to press her lips against his own. He grinned before quickly deepening the kiss, his hands sliding down to areas Merle would never approve of.

"Ai! What happened to you two? I leave you alone for five miets, and you decide to go swimming?"

Guiltily, the two jumped apart at the sound of the irate cat girl's screech.

"It was an accident, Merle. See, we-" Hitomi began, but Merle cut her off with a wild flapping of her hands.

"Save it! I don't even want to know. What are we going to do _now_?" she moaned. "How the seven hells am I going to cover this up?"

"Well, we could tell everyone that I slipped and fell in, and Van jumped in after me to rescue me," Hitomi suggested hopefully. Van quirked an amused eyebrow at her and Merle shook her head angrily.

"No way. That's too melodramatically sappy even for me. No, we're just going to have to say you fell in, and Lord Van will have to wait out here until he dries off."

"What? Merle, that'll take hours!" protested Van.

Merle scowled darkly at him. "It's either that, or you cause a huge scandal. Take your pick."

Grabbing Hitomi by the arm, she started to haul her through the trees back toward the castle. He waved helplessly at her as she disappeared into the night gloom before he flopped down to pull of his sopping boots.

Gods. What a horrible day. At least he'd gotten to see Hitomi dripping wet...

* * *

Annie clung helplessly to the torture pole as the evil, heinous maids yanked her corset tighter than a wasp's waist. She would've refused to be strapped back into that thing if it wasn't for Princess Eries standing a few feet away watching the proceedings with a tight-lipped smile. Annie gritted her teeth as her breath whooshed out when the maids pulled harder than ever.

"Okay, okay! Enough! I think my spleen is about to be punctured by my spine!" she exclaimed weakly. "If you pull it any tighter, I seriously don't think I'll be able to breathe."

"If you can still talk, you can still breathe," Eries stated with an sarcastic quirk of her eyebrows. She motioned for the maids to continue, and Annie gripped the pole in a white-knuckled grip. This was revenge for her behavior at dinner last evening. Fine. She could take it. And she'd find some way to use it against the Ice Princess, too.

At least today's dress was infinitally less ridiculous than the previous evening. It was still a horrible, pale, pastel pink, and it still had about fifteen yards too much lace on it, but at least it was sleeveless. And, even better, no underwire skirt cage. Although, when she thought about it, Annie wondered if that wasn't a bad thing after all. One sure way to scandalize the Austurian court would be to 'accidentally' flash her bloomers by sitting improperly.

Annie stifled her giggles and composed her face quickly as Eries shot her a sharp, icy glare. No need to make the princess any more suspicious of her little plan than she already was. Meekly, she submitted to being dressed like an oversized baby by the twittering maids. Eries watched the entire process with a stern face, her lips pressed into a thin white line, and Annie had to stifle another giggle.

"Wow. The rumor mill must be churning out something really craptacular to give you that bad of a lemon face," she commented, arching an eyebrow at the princess.

"Wasn't that your intent?" Eries returned dryly with a dark glower. Annie flashed her a broad shark grin just as Millerna sailed through the door.

"Good morning, ladies! Annie, I have the most wonderful news! Allen has agreed to escort us around the city today so you can see all of Palas!" she exclaimed gleefully.

Eries tried to hide her alarm under a bland, neutral mask. "Millerna, dear. Annie's really had a shock being brought unexpectedly here. A quiet day in her rooms would be-"

"Oh, heck no! Touring Palas sounds awesome, Millerna!" Annie interrupted her cheerfully. Like hell she was going to be locked up in her room like a naughty child. That tactic hadn't even worked for her _grandmother_.

"Excellent! Allen and Celena will be joining us for breakfast, so we'll go down to meet them as soon as you're ready," Millerna said, clasping her hands together in sheer excitement. Eries' lips disappeared into a a thin, white slash again, and Annie cheered inwardly.

To Annie's utter annoyance, her two maids trailed along behind them as they headed toward the breakfast room, whispering occasionally to each other behind their hands. And they weren't alone. Each of the princesses had at least two or three maids following them as well, like some kind of bizarre procession.

The whole group entered a brightly lit room dominated by floor to ceiling windows on three of the walls. Many of them were open to the warm morning air, and Annie wished futilely that she could rip that damn corset off and take a deep, satisfying breath.

Allen and Celena rose from their places at the highly polished wooden table and gave a perfectly correct bow and curtsy. Millerna waved them both back into their seats.

"Oh, Allen. You know you don't need to be so formal with me," she trilled beautifully and smiled her glorious smile at him. Eries pursed her lips, but said nothing as the three ladies were ushered to their seats by their respective maids.

"Yes. Thank you. Okay. Good enough. Back _off_ already," Annie snarled as her maids hovered around her, unnecessarily helping her sit, putting her napkin on her lap, and generally treating her like a toddler. Nevermind that Millerna and Eries were getting the same treatment; it sure as anything didn't sit well with her independent, self-sufficient nature. She caught Allen's amused smirk from across the table and narrowed her eyes dangerously. Eries glanced at her and hastily excused the maids before she could do anything rash.

The heavy silence was punctuated only by the clink of silverware against delicate porcelian, and Annie had to fight the urge to jump on the table and dance jig just to liven things up. No wonder Allen was such a boring prick with a stick up his--

"Oh, hey! Is that my photo album?" she suddenly exclaimed as her eyes fell on a large, innocent looking book sitting next to Celena's plate. One glance at Allen's face- which definitely looked like he wanted to smash his head into his plate- would have confirmed it, even if the tiny, shy smile lighting up Celena's face hadn't.

"You said you would tell me more about the pictures," she said in a quiet, halting voice, as if she was afraid that Annie would chide her for being ridiculous.

Annie beamed and reached across the table for the book. "Absolutely! Here, give it to me, and I'll pick a really good one!"

"Perhaps this should wait until a later time," Allen managed to get out through his gritted teeth, but Annie waved a casual hand at him.

"No time like the present, Sweetpea. Now, let's see here..." she trailed off as she quickly flipped through the pages. Allen looked imploringly at Eries, but she focused on her breakfast and avoided his pointed gaze. Allen ground his teeth in frustration. That traitor!

"Ah ha! This one!" exclaimed Annie triumphantly as she pointed to a picture of Van, Hitomi, Allen, and herself posing in front of an impressive display of snowmen.

"I've told them all about your childish game of building those things," he informed her with a smirk. The shark grin creeping across her face unnerved him, and he narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"I'm sure you did. But I'll bet you didn't tell them about the snowball fight afterwards," she replied with an evil, amused glint in her eyes.

"Snowball fight?" asked Millerna, her smooth brow wrinkling with confusion.

Annie nodded gleefully. "That's right. Ya'll might not think he's so chivalrous after you hear this one..."

She launched into an admittedly hilarious recounting of Allen attacking her with a snowman's head and her eventual defeat at his cheating, nefarious hands. Allen gritted his teeth together so hard his jaw creaked under the pressure. Millerna was laughing so wildly, she nearly fell off of her chair several times, and Eries worked hard to hide her amusement behind her napkin. Celena watched Annie's animated storytelling with rapt attention, a genuine smile lighting up her face. Apparently, she was well on her way to absolutely idolizing the small, strange, Mystic Moon woman, and Allen couldn't decide if that was a good or bad thing. After all, she'd be leaving as soon as she could get to Fanelia.

"Who knew you were such a devil, Allen!" Millerna giggled, out of breath from laughing by the time Annie finally wound to a close. He scowled darkly across the table.

"That's not exactly how it happened."

Annie arched her eyebrows accusingly. "Are you calling me a liar, Allen Shezar?" she taunted. He opened his mouth with a sharp, sarcastic reply, but snapped his teeth together before he could say it. He took a deep breath and had a momentary struggle to compose his face into a blandly friendly mask.

"Shouldn't we be going if we are to show Annie all of Palas today?" he managed to get out in a suitably nuetral voice. He could tell by the amused sparkle in Annie's eyes that he wasn't fooling her one bit.

Celena looked slightly crestfallen as they stood from the table and headed to their waiting carriage, and Annie took her arm cheerfully.

"I'll tell you another one as soon as we get the chance," she told her laughingly. Even though Allen balled his fists in annoyed fury, he was grateful to see his sister looking decidedly more cheerful.

Sadly, the remainder of the morning passed by uneventfully, since Allen and Eries insisted that they all remain in the carriage as they toured the city. At least it had no top, so they could see everything freely, and the fragrant ocean breezes cooled them from the heat of the sun. Annie was secretly thrilled when they returned to the palace for the midday meal, bored out of her mind from being shown building after building. Millerna and Allen's enthusiasm hadn't dimmed in the slightest, and Annie wondered sourly if that was simply because they had been seated next to each other. They sure seemed cozy, what with Millerna touching his arm like that and batting her impossibly gorgeous blue eyes at him. Really, Allen should be ashamed of himself for flirting with a married woman like that and- wait. Why did _she _care who Allen was sitting next to? What difference did it make to her if he was bamboozled by Millerna's blond bombshell looks? Stupid, insanely beautiful, perfect Barbie look-alike.

Ignoring the slight headache throbbing at his temples from the strain of remaining politely enthusiastic with Millerna, Allen forced yet another smile at one of the princess's witty remarks. If only he'd managed to sit next to Annie.... although why he should be thinking that, he wasn't sure. Maybe it was just because she was wearing another dress that showed off ample amounts of cleavage, and if he was sitting next to her, he could easily sneak a peek down-

No, no, no, _no_. For Jichia's sake! He wasn't as big a pervert as those over-dressed, chubby courtiers last night, was he? During the whole trip, he'd never once tried to get a look down Millerna's top, so that had to count for something.

The noon meal flowed the same as breakfast had, with Annie doing more talking than eating as she entertained everyone but Allen with another story at his expense. This time, she told them all about her gag gift and how he'd chucked a wad of wrapping paper at her face. Allen would've defended himself, but he was too busy listening anxiously to the slight wheeze in her voice.

Annie, for her part, was determinedly trying to focus on anything that would distract her from the searing ache in her ribs and the lightheaded dizziness that was causing little black spots to dance across her vision. It was an effort to keep talking, but it was worth it to see the smile lighting up Celena's face.

Eries suggested quietly that they tour the palace gardens after lunch, and Annie agreed heartily. It sounded infinitely more interesting than staring at buildings listening to Allen and Millerna twitter at each other, and anything would be better than just sitting there trying to make polite conversation all afternoon. She had to clutch the table for a moment when she stood up as she fought a strong wave of black that threatened to obscure her vision completely. That damn corset! If she had any strength at all left in her oxygen-deprived muscles, she'd tear it off with her bare hands! But she wouldn't give in. No way. Allen and Eries were _not _going to beat her just because she couldn't breathe!

The group wandered through the garden paths, and Annie wished that she could actually appreciate the beauty around her. All she could concentrate on was struggling to take another breath. It wasn't long before she trailed behind the others as they slowly spread apart through the magnificent botanical displays, and eventually she just stopped altogether. Her breathing was a shallow wheeze, but she didn't bother to pull out her inhaler. What would be the point if she couldn't get more than a drop of air into her lungs, anyway? Feebly, she pressed her hands to her ribs and swore viciously under her labored breathing.

"Annie? Is something the matter?" Allen's voice suddenly murmured from a point directly behind her left ear. She jumped and whirled around to face him, and then clutched at her right side with an almighty wince.

"Ouch! Lord, bloody hell, dammit! Stupid thing just broke my rib, I know it!" she wheezed out angrily.

Allen stared at her in alarm. "What thing? Where?"

"What thing. Like you don't know," she spat out in what should have been an indignant snap, but came out as a pathetic wheeze. "Look, I get the whole revenge thing. I do. Hell, I'm all for it-" wheeze- "but this crosses the line-" wheeze- "This is cruel-" wheeze- "torture."

"_What_ is? What are you talking about?" he demanded in panic. Annie's face was deathly pale, so much so that the whites of her eyes looked yellow in comparison, and a slight bluish tinge was starting to become noticeable around her lips. She looked like she was about to fall over, so he grabbed her upper arms to support her.

"The _corset_," she finally managed to force out between her shallow, struggling breaths. Allen scrunched up his face in confusion. Corset? That thing that women wore to enhance their figures?

"Where's your inhaler?" he asked urgently, figuring that was more important than talking about women's undergarments.

Annie shook her head weakly. "No use. Can't.... breathe.... too tight."

Too tight? But what- oh! Her corset was too tight! Allen wanted to brain himself for wasting precious moments being an idiot as he swiftly turned her around. His anxious fingers fumbled with the row of tiny buttons on the back of her dress, and he cursed under his breath. Why the hell did there have to be two thousand buttons the size of a grain of sand on the stupid thing? Finally, he got it undone and pushed the fabric aside to get at the ties of her corset.

Holy gods, she wasn't kidding about it being too tight! Did all the women wear it like that? The ribbons pulled themselves into a knot when he tried to undo them, and he pulled frantically at it as Annie's breathing got more shallow than ever. In frustration, he finally hooked his fingers onto either side of the corset and ripped it apart. Annie sagged against him, and he caught her around the middle to hold her upright.

"Inhaler?" he demanded harshly. Weakly, she raised her left arm slightly, a small silk bag dangling from her wrist. Still supporting her with one arm, he pulled it open and yanked out the small, other-wordly device. She took it with a shaking hand, brought it to her mouth and inhaled several times.

Her wheezing eased off slightly, and Allen swept her up into his arms to carry her over to a nearby bench. Her trembling form seemed too weak to support herself, so he sat down and cradled her on his lap. Her deathly pale, exhausted face worried him as she wearily closed her eyes and rested her head on his chest.

"What should I do?" he asked anxiously, and she shook her head slightly.

"Nothing. I'll be okay," she whispered, and then paused to catch her breath again. "Thanks, Al. I think you might've saved my life there."

That scared him, and he couldn't help but hold her a little tighter as he grimaced. "Why were you wearing that thing so tight? And why didn't you say anything sooner?"

"Ha. If I had my way, I wouldn't have put the stupid death-trap on in the first place. And like hell I was going to let you win so easily." She stopped and caught her breath again, never lifting her head from his chest. "Death first, you know? But then I changed my mind."

"What do you mean, 'let me win'? I didn't know anything about you wearing a corset."

"Right, sure. 'Cause it wasn't _your_ idea for Eries to dress me up in Austria's finest. Corsets are all part of the deal, so I wasn't going to say anything about how bad it was," Annie replied in a weary, breathy whisper. She took another puff of her inhaler and relaxed, oblivious to the frozen stiffness in Allen's arms. He stared unseeingly at the lush green gardens spread out in front of them as her words sank in.

It was his fault this had happened. If he hadn't asked Eries to dress her up, if he hadn't been so childishly bent on getting payback, Annie would never have suffered like this. What a selfish fool he was.

"Stop it, Al. I know what you're thinking, and it's dumb, so just stop," Annie murmured as she shifted slightly into a more comfortable position. "It's not your fault I'm a stubborn idiot."

"I'm so sorry. I never meant for you to be hurt," he replied slowly in a rough, gravelly voice, and Annie patted his arm.

"No need to apologize. It's all in good fun."

Allen sighed, but the frozen stiffness left his body. He couldn't stop himself from gently stroking the long, silky swath of her hair as he cradled her just the tiniest bit closer. She was much too forgiving for her own good. Somehow, he'd find a way to make it up to her.

"I'm afraid I might have destroyed your corset," he murmured after several long minutes. She laughed weakly, and it was one of the most beautiful things he'd ever heard.

"Thank god," she returned fervently. They lapsed into silence again as she rested against his chest and he stroked her hair. Unfortunately, as much as he would've liked to stay like that until he was sure Annie was her usual, perky self, he was acutely aware of her exposed back resting against his arm and the way her fitted gown was... not quite so fitted at the moment. And any minute now, Millerna, Eries, or some servant would come wandering through the garden looking for them. He moved a little so he could see her face, and congratulated himself when he forced his eyes to stay there instead of straying to see how much the bodice of her dress had, er... shifted.

"Annie? We need to go back to the palace. Do you think you can walk?" asked Allen gently. She sighed and pushed herself away from his chest into more of an upright sitting position.

"Probably. If you help me," she told him, looking and sounding completely exhausted. "I suppose you'd better close me back up first, though."

Wordlessly, he swept her long hair over her shoulder and began the impossible task of getting her dress re-buttoned. The stupid things were so tiny and slippery that he was finally forced to yank off his spotless gloves so his fingers could be more effective. Five minutes later, he'd only managed to get it almost half-way done, and he was concentrating so hard that he didn't hear the quiet footsteps moving up the path toward them. The soft, respectful voice floating over to them froze Allen's fingers on the button he was fumbling with in pure, horrified shock.

"Sir Allen? Princess Eries sent me to- Oh!" the maid finally registered what exactly Allen was doing to Annie's dress, and her hand flew up to cover her surprised mouth. "Oh, I am so sorry. Please, pardon me for interrupting, Sir!"

She hastily bobbed a curtsy, her face a brilliant scarlet as she trained her eyes anywhere but at the frozen couple on the stone bench. Allen could feel his own ears flaming red, and he hastily lifted Annie off his lap to stand up.

"Wait, this isn't how it looks-" he began imploringly, but the maid was already disappearing down the garden path.

Oh. Dear. Gods.

His heart sank straight into his toes, and all his blood followed after it. Even if he chased that stupid woman down and told her the real story, the damage was already done. _No one_ would believe that the infamous playboy Allen and the strange Lady Annie weren't getting busy canoodling in the gardens, no matter what he said to refute it. And when they find out about the ripped corset.... Great Jichia, it would be like throwing fuel on an already out of control fire. Eries was going to _murder_ him. Not to mention the damage to Annie's reputation....

The sound of muffled laughter forced him to turn around and face her, and he stared in disbelieving shock. Annie clasped both hands over her mouth to stifle her helpless laughter as her shoulders heaved.

"Oh, man. That was too hilarious! Did you see her _face?_" she exclaimed. Allen just gaped at her as she laughed again, shook her head, wheezed, and took another puff of her inhaler.

"Annie, are you _insane_? You do realize what that woman thinks we were doing, don't you?" he demanded incredulously.

"Absolutely! That's what's so damn hilarious, Al!"

Allen pinched the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb, firmly resisting the urge to grip her by the shoulders and shake her until her teeth rattled. She was still fragile, after all.

"Annie, _think _about it. The rumors are going to be flying around the palace before we even get back there. All of Palas is going to believe that we- that you and I... oh, gods, _your corset_," he finished with a groan, but it only served to make Annie grin more broadly.

"Oh, yeah! That _is _going to look bad, isn't it?"

"Be serious about this! Think about what it's going to do to your reputation! The _scandal_! What people are going to think about you!" he pleaded desperately. Somehow, he needed to make her grasp the seriousness of their situation, because so far she was acting like it was the biggest joke of the century. Something in his words must've sunk in, because her mouth turned slightly down into a small frown.

"Is it going to hurt _your _reputation?" she asked in concern.

"No. I doubt anyone will even be surprised," he reassured her dryly after a moment's thought. It hardly mattered that his reputation was honestly more fiction than fact; the stories about his 'conquests' were stuff of legends in the gossip circles.

Annie relaxed, and the broad grin was once again in place. "Well, then there's nothing to worry about."

"What do you mean, _nothing to worry about_? Annie-"

She stopped him with one raised hand. "Al, what difference does it make to me what rumors are going around Palas? I'm outta here as soon as you get me to Fanelia. As long as _you_ aren't going to be affected by it, then I really couldn't care less."

"_I care_,"Allen growled, running a frustrated hand through his long hair.

Annie sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine. Care, then. But in that case, you'd better finish buttoning me up so you can get inside and do some damage control. Although-" she watched the way he ran his hand through his hair again with an amused twinkle in her eye- "messing up your hair like that probably isn't going to help your case any."

Sheepishly, Allen stopped his hand in mid-air and dropped it uselessly by his side. Annie smirked and turned her exposed back toward him again, waiting. He stood helplessly for another minute, clenching and unclenching his fists at the ridiculousness of their situation before sighing in defeat. Once again, he turned his attention to the tiny buttons and tried to ignore the dread mounting inside of his chest at the thought of what they were about to face inside the palace.

Eries was going to shred them _both_.


	7. I'll be watching you

**I'll be Watching You!**

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* * *

**

**AN: **_Finally... another chapter. Sorry about the once again long delay. Good excuses, though: Sick, work, sister hospitalized, and I just became an aunt for the 14__th__ time today! Yep, you saw that right. Fourteenth! Anyway, this is kind of a filler chapter- you'll see. It's short, but I hope you like it anyway! Please forgive spelling/grammer errors as I'm once again too sick to be able to proofread well, and I have no working spellchecker. Thanks!  
__**Thank so much to everyone who read and reviewed last chapter!!! **__I hope I responded to each of you personally. If not, PM me, and I'll correct the mistake! Thanks again! Here we go...._

_

* * *

_

_Every single day  
And every word you say  
Every game you play  
Every night you stay  
I'll be watching you...  
(I'll be watching you: Sting and the Police)_

_

* * *

_

Eries drummed her fingers on the highly polished wood of the small writing desk she was currently occupying. Outside the window that overlooked the courtyard, she could see servants and soldiers frantically going to and fro to make everything ready for the Princesses' journey to Fanelia. They would be leaving at first light tomorrow morning, and Eries smiled wryly at the thought that perhaps this outcome was Annie's intention in the first place. If so, she'd have to concede this battle to her.

Despite the official announcement over dinner last evening that Lady Annie had been taken ill by a serious affliction of the lungs, the wild rumors were running rampant. She'd caught more than one group of maids twittering behind their hands, and the court ladies were even worse. For once in her life, Eries felt completely helpless to even take her anger out on anyone. Her first inclination was to chastise and somehow repay Annie for being part of such a humiliating spectacle- not to mention for having such bad taste as to do it with _Allen Shezar_ of all people. Unfortunately, that desire completely evaporated the moment she set eyes on the whey-faced girl trying valiantly to smile and act healthy, normal, and strong, despite the fact that Allen was more than half-carrying her into the palace.

Her second, and stronger, inclination to berate and tear Allen into pieces with her bare hands didn't go so very well, either. She drummed her fingers on the desktop harder with a heavy frown just remembering it.

Oh, it had started out just fine. She'd laid into him in an low voice laced with icy fury about the indecency of his actions, and as expected, he withstood it all with a politely bowed head and an unreadable expression. And then suddenly, without warning, he'd snapped! She wasn't even sure what she'd said to him before he'd suddenly pinned her with a powerful glare, volcanic fury in his piercingly blue eyes.

She scowled at her desk in absolute mortification just _remembering_ how he'd tore into her- respectfully, of course- about her cruel idiocity in strapping Annie into what he deemed an 'inhumane torture device'. For Jichia's sake, how was _she _supposed to know the girl had some kind of breathing problem? And it had been _Allen's _idea in the first place to get Annie dressed up like that.

The poor handmaiden that interrupted Eries' angry train of thought by bringing her tea tray was unfairly treated to an icy glare of death. Terrified, she backed hastily to the door and nearly ran out of the room. Eries gave an irritated huff of annoyance as she poured herself a much-needed cup of the soothing liquid and took a sip through tightly pursed lips.

The problem was, even when she'd pointed those obvious facts out to Allen, he'd instantly and heartily agreed, willingly taking on more of the guilt than she knew he actually deserved. After all, what did a man, even such a man as Allen Shezar, truly know about the uncomfortable side of women's undergarments?

But something beyond Allen's tongue lashing and the tiny finger of guilt niggling at her consience was bothering Eries. Austuria's middle princess was certainly no fool, nor was she blind or deaf. There was something going on between Allen and Annie, or at the very least, something going on on Allen's end of the relationship. She had _never_ seen him lose his calm, never even heard him raise is voice, over any woman that wasn't his precious sister. Not Marlene, not Hitomi, not _anyone. _And yet, all Annie had to do was smirk at him a certain way and he flared up. And the way he looked at her...

It was a confusing, surprising, and not altogether welcome mystery, and Eries made a silent, adamant vow to dig her way to the bottom of it, whether the two of them liked it or not. She'd be watching.

Two miles away on the bridge of the _Crusade_, Allen felt a distinct chill crawl over his spine.

* * *

Merle rubbed her tired, sleep-fogged eyes as she made her way to Hitomi's room in the semi-dark of early dawn. There was still too much to do, so much to plan, outfits to be fitted, food preparation to oversee, ceremony schedules to make out, not to mention the impossible task of preparing the bride herself for her imminent wedding. That just might be the most daunting task of all that the cat-girl had to somehow pull off.

Ugh! Hitomi and Van weren't exactly helping with that at all, either. The two of them couldn't stop thinking with their hormones for one day to help her out, could they? Nooooo, they just had to waste her time with whining and moaning, 'Please Merle, just give us five miets to make out like horny adolescents, and then fall into the pond just to make things more complicated for you!'. Why she ever gave in to Van's pleading last night was beyond her.

Merle groused unhappily under her breath as she came to Hitomi's door and charged through it loudly without a polite knock or ceremony. Hitomi sat straight up in bed, her hair in wild tangles around her face as she blinked the sleep out of her eyes blearily. Ignoring her, Merle marched over to the wall and pulled on the maid's bell with three sharp tugs. That ought to send a passel of them running like mad for the room!

"Rise and shine, your majesty," Merle said with a bright smirk. "You've got a lot on your schedule for today."

Groaning, Hitomi flopped back down and covered her head with a pillow. Heaving a sigh, Merle dug her sharp claws into the covers and whipped them off of the girl, then proceeded to do the same with the pillow. Baleful green eyes stared accusingly up at her.

"Merle, are you _trying_ to kill me off before I even make it to your precious wedding ceremonies?" Hitomi demanded angrily.

"No. That would be Van's department, seeing as he's the one who dumped you into a freezing pond last night so you could catch your death. By the way, if you so much as _sniffle_ today, you'll regret ever being born," Merle replied cheerfully.

Three of Hitomi's personal maids bustled in then, completely out of breath from trying to run as dignified a manner as possible through the halls from the servants' quarters. In no time at all, they had their almost-queen plucked out of bed, undressed, washed, re-dressed, and primped under Merle's ever present hawk-like gaze. It was the least she owed her Lord Van, after all, and her country. His famed bride would be nothing less than stunning, or at the very least, perfectly pretty. Honestly, would it have killed Hitomi to grow her hair out a little longer?

"Breakfast," Merle announced when Hitomi's primping was deemed sufficient- _for now_. The cat couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes at the way the girl's face lit up in anticipation of seeing Van, even if it was only going to be for a few short minutes. It was ridiculous the way she floated down the hallway toward the breakfast room, although Merle was generous enough to admit that it was sweet in a sappily romantic way. She wouldn't have allowed anyone who loved her Lord Van less to marry him, after all.

Heck, that's why she was doing all this work for their wedding in the first place! Why couldn't either of them understand that? Growling, Merle flung open the heavy wooden door with a good deal more force than necessary and scowled fiercely at the confused, apprehensive look on Van's face. Her tail whipped back and forth furiously when she saw that he'd moved his chair closer to Hitomi's- _again. _Hitomi literally beamed when she saw him.

Those two were completely hopeless.

"Half an hour," Merle hissed at them before stomping back out of the room. It wasn't like she was _trying _to make things miserable for them! This gargatuan wedding wasn't going to plan itself, and so help her, if it wasn't going to be perfect, then it wasn't going to happen at _all._

Merle's breakfast consisted of a few bites snuck in between puruesing the day's schedule, the guest room layouts, and most importantly, selecting fabrics for one of Hitomi's ceremonial outfits. Someday, when things calmed down again, she was going to splurge and have an enormous breakfast brought to her in bed. And then stay there under the covers all day long.

Twenty-five meits later, she dispatched a few maids to drag the unwilling bride in for her first fitting of the day, having no desire to have to withstand Van's pleading eyes any more than was necessary. And unwilling certainly seemed to fit Hitomi's mood this morning; her expression looked like she was dangerously close to mutiny. Ah, well. Nothing Merle couldn't cope with in a few well-chosen words about Fanelia's honor and the like. Honestly, Hitomi was a lot more easy to manipulate than Van had ever been.

The day moved forward like clockwork. That is, until Hitomi gave a very tiny, very discreet sneeze. The entire room froze as Merle turned slowly on her heel to give her a dark, glowering glare.

"Was that... a _sneeze_ I just heard?" she demanded in a deceptively quiet voice. Hitomi gave a tiny little 'eep!' noise and shook her head violently in denial.

"No! No, of course not. It was just a... it was nothing!" she insisted unconvincingly. Merle stared at her with narrowed eyes, and she swallowed hard. Her nose twitched slightly, and her pink lips puckered up. She blinked furiously in a futile attempt to hide her watering eyes as she wrinkled up her nose. Nobody moved, except for Merle, who put her hands on her hips and waited.

"_Achoo!_"

Merle threw up her hands in exasperation. "I _knew _it!" she groaned loudly.

"It's just a sneeze, Merle. It's not a big deal," Hitomi reassured her awkwardly.

"Just a sneeze? _Just a sneeze?_" Merle shrieked. "That sneeze is going to cost me a whole day's work! Let's move, ladies! Get her out of this dress. You there, go send for the Healers!"

"What the- Merle, what's going on?" Hitomi exclaimed as the maids swarmed her in one anxious mass, multiple hands fumbling with the intricate layers of cloth wrapped around her body. Merle rubbed her temples in an attempt to stave off the massive headache that she could already feel building behind her forehead.

"What do you think? We're getting you into bed before your 'just a sneeze' turns into some full-blown disease."

Hitomi blinked in stupified shock. "You've got to be kidding me. Two sneezes, and suddenly I'm on my death bed?"

"You better hope you're not, or I'll put Lord Van on _his," _Merle hissed at her as they hustled her out of the fitting rooms and down the hall to her own apartments. Ignoring Hitomi's protests, the maids quickly got her into a thick, comfortable nightgown and popped her into bed. If Merle wasn't so annoyed, she might have laughed at the outright bewildered look on the poor girl's face as she was propped up on her freshly fluffed pillows, buried under a veritable mountain of blankets, and plied with cool drinks by the anxious servants.

The Healers entered the room, and as if on cue, Hitomi sneezed again. Her face turned a mortified scarlett, and she looked about to dive for cover under the blankets.

"It's nothing! Just a tickle in my nose!" she insisted in a squeak as the group descended on her.

An hour later, the Healers finally left after leaving behind a small mound of instructions for the future queen's care. She was not to leave her bed that day, except for a steam bath that evening, she was to drink this concoction and that concoction, above all she was supposed to rest, and on and on and on. Merle's head ached worse than ever by the time she finally left Hitomi under the competent, and occassionally overbearing, care of her small army of maids.

Unfortunately, she'd barely closed the door behind her when Lord Van barreled down the hallway much faster than what could be considered dignified for a King. Great. Just what she needed.

"Merle! What's going on? Is Hitomi okay? What's wrong with her? What-" he fired off at the weary cat-girl, and she held her hands up in feeble protest.

"Hitomi's fine, Lord Van, I swear. She has a slight cold- _thanks to your little swimming adventure- _and we're taking every precaution to keep it from getting any worse."

"Oh," he breathed out, and his shoulders slumped with profound relief. "Is she awake? May I see her?"

"Absolutely not! In her bedchambers- have you lost your senses completely?" Merle shrieked in a whisper. "Besides, there's _no way _I'm going to risk you catching that cold, too."  
Van gave her the closest approximation to a pout that he could force his chiseled face into. "But, Merle..."

"No buts, Van. I'm not giving in to you again!" Merle interrupted him fiercely. "Look what happened because of the last time you two were together!"

Van had the grace to look sheepish and a little guilty, but even still, she watched him narrowly until he backed off and headed around the corner of the hallway. Ugh! As if she didn't have enough to do! She didn't need to have to work to keep the two of them apart, too!

Shaking her aching head as she stalked off down the hallway, she muttered darkly to herself under her breath. "Stupid wedding's going to be the death of me yet..."

* * *

_And I've been saving all the letters that I wrote to you  
Each one a line or two:  
I'm fine, Baby, how are you?  
Well, I would send them but I know that it's just not enough  
My words were cold and flat-  
And you deserve more... than that  
(Home: version by Micheal Buble)_

_

* * *

_

The constant, background hum of the levi-ship soothed Dryden's impatient nerves as he stared out at the passing clouds. A messenger from Palas- one paltry minion in his enormous network of spies- had just left his cramped 'office' after delivering one hell of an insteresting report. And not five seconds after the door had shut behind the messenger had Dryden ordered his enormous levi-ship to make a giant U-turn and head for Fanelia at top speed.

So, it seemed little miss Hitomi had made herself a fiesty best friend on that Moon of hers. So fiesty, in fact, that she'd managed to scandalize the entire Asturian court in just under two days. Dryden chuckled to himself mightily. This Annie person was definitely something he had to see!

Only... she wasn't the only person he was hoping to see.

He sighed heavily, an uncharacteristically pensive look on his face as he stared listlessly at the overflowing chest behind his desk. It had been some months since he'd been able get the lid to close over the plethora of sealed letters that spilled over the top and onto the floor in a great, white mound of folded paper. He nudged a few of them with the toe of his boot now as he sighed again. How many had he written since he'd left Palas in the upheaval at the end of the War? And every single one of them sealed and stamped with his personal ensigna, but no name or direction written on the outside.

He should really just burn them all. It was so stupid; there was no way he was ever going to send even one of them. That had never been his intention, not really. But handing Millerna Sara Aston, third Princess of Austuria, his wedding ring and walking away from their arranged political marriage had been the most difficult thing he'd ever done. Truthfully, he just couldn't let her go. So he wrote to her, words spilling from his pen onto the clean paper in copious, often unintelligable scribbles to ease the ache of longing that had settled into his bones about thirty seconds after walking away from her.

Because underneath the swagger, the calm certainty in the way he assured her that he'd _make _her fall for him, was a terrified man who found himself irrevocably in love and completely unsure just what he was supposed to do about it. Not to mention that pesky bit about Millerna actually believing she might be in love with that ghastly, pompous, ridiculous, pretty, playboy _Allen Shezar_ complicating things to no end.

And now he was racing toward Fanelia instead of Austuria because that's where _she _was headed. Six years. It had been over six years since he'd last seen her innocent, beguiling face under the flimsy pretense of 'becoming the man she deserved'. That had been true, in some ways, but when he allowed himself to be honest, he knew that mostly he'd been looking for a way to run. What he and their fathers were doing to her wasn't fair, and he couldn't stand being a part of it any longer. If Millerna Sara Aston was going to be his wife, then he wanted her to do it under her own free will and because she wanted it as badly as he did. Only now, after six long years without her, his only contact with her the paltry rumors and reports from his minions and the idiotically sappy letters he wrote but never sent, Dryden was beginning to think he'd take whatever he could get.

Going to see her in Fanelia was a fool-hardy, stupid idea. Because this time, he wasn't altogether certain that he would be able to walk away again. Sighing, he nudged the letters with his foot once more. He really _should _burn them.

Someday.

* * *

Tomorrow. They were leaving for Fanelia tomorrow.

Millerna couldn't stop the nervous, fluttering butterflies from dancing around her stomach at the very thought. If ever there was a time, if ever there was an occasion, Van and Hitomi's wedding had to be the one thing that brought _him_ back from wherever he was.

_Him. _Dryden Fassa. Her enstranged husband of six and a half long years. Millerna didn't even know what she felt at the thought of seeing him again. Dread? Anticipation? Longing? Anger? He'd never come back, even though she'd sub-consciously waited for him to do just that. She'd waited, however foolishly, for him to swagger back into her life and sweep her off her feet just like he'd promised he would.

That's what he'd said, hadn't he? That he would make her fall for him, because he loved her? And yet, the years passed, and she'd never even had so much as a rumor about him. Even Meiden Fassa was close-lipped about his son's whereabouts, though Millerna could hardly ask him directly about it. No, that would make it look like she actually _cared _where her errant husband was and what he was doing, and that simply wouldn't do. What if it got back to Dryden somehow?

She _didn't _care. She didn't! At least, that's what she told herself over and over in a futile attempt to stop the treacherous path of questions her mind wandered down every night. He'd lied to her, after all. He'd said he loved her, but then he'd just walked away! Walked away and never even bothered to send her one letter, one note, one _anything. _Six years of silence.

She'd written him a letter. Just one, on their one year anniversary. She'd begged him to come home. She'd told him she missed him, that she wanted to see him again. She'd told him...

But it didn't matter. He'd never seen that letter. She'd tucked it safely away in the bottom drawer of her personal desk and had never pulled it out again since. Her pride wouldn't allow it.

Millerna straightened her spine and lifted her head to it's highest height as she watched the gathering dusk darkening the sky. If Dryden was going to make an appearance at the marriage ceremonies of their mutual friends, then she would deal with it. She would be calm, cool, collected, every inch an Austurian Princess, and she would never let him see that he affected her in any way.

She would show him just how much she didn't need him. And that letter would stay locked away in her drawer where it belonged.


	8. She Drives Me Crazy

**She Drives Me Crazy**

**AN: **_Hello! This is a short chapter, which I meant to make longer, but it just felt like a natural place to stop. Next chapter WILL be longer, aaaaand... (duh, duh, duh!) it will have DRYDEN! That's right, folks! Next chappie, our favorite man (besides Van, of course) will be making his appearance! Squeal! Okay, anyway, there's a bit of VxH touchy-feely in this one, so enjoy!  
__**Thanks so much to everyone who read and reviewed last chapter!!! I appreciate it very, very much!!!**_

_**

* * *

****She drives me crazy  
Like no one else  
She drives me crazy  
And I can't help myself...**_

_(She Drives Me Crazy: Fine Young Cannibals)_

_

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_

Allen massaged his throbbing temples and thanked every known god that the trip to Fanelia was almost over. Escorting Austuria's treasured princesses was no small task, and the fact that he now had his sister along to worry about- _no thanks to Annie_- wasn't making his job any easier.

He'd had everything worked out so perfectly a week ago. Celena was going to remain at his estate with her governess while he was away in Fanelia, therefore eliminating any possible triggers or trauma that country might present. After all, Celena's alter-ego Dilandau had razed it to the ground the one and only time she (or he, really) had been there. It seemed only logical to Allen that Celena would be better off far away from anything that might upset her fragile equilibrium.

Annie, however, disagreed loudly, repeatedly, and whole-heartedly when she found out. Once she'd gotten Celena to admit that she wanted to go along to Fanelia, she had waged a one-woman war against him. Allen reflected that it really shouldn't have surprised him in the least (since she generally considered logic and common sense to be optional accessories) that she found all his rational reasons to be downright ridiculous. Allen still wasn't altogether sure how she'd managed to back him into a verbal corner until his only option was to let Celena come along or look like an overbearing, cruel, controlling older brother. His crew was _still _snickering about it whenever his back was turned.

And now the crazy girl had dragged his sister off of the princesses' comfortably luxurious leviship onto his _Crusade_, and had somehow managed to get each and every member of his crew doting on the two of them. Allen had escaped into the hold with the excuse of a last-minute inspection of Scherazade's armor for a few precious minutes to collect the tattered remnants of his sanity.

Just a few more short hours, and they'd be landing in Fanelia. Van and Hitomi would send Annie back to the Mystic Moon, and his life could go back to normal.

The only problem was, he wasn't sure if he was looking forward to it or dreading it. It frightened him how badly a part of him wanted her to stay, how he was literally counting down every minute in the knowledge that soon she'd disappear. That he'd never hear her laugh again, or argue with her, or see her wrinkle up her nose in the way that only she could.

But then again, he'd never have to worry about what she was going to do next, or what outrageous words were going to pop out of her mouth. He'd never have to put up with her teasing taunts about his hair, his clothes, or his chivarly ever again.

Strange how those thoughts brought him very little comfort.

Which was, after all, the reason he was skulking around Scherezade instead of being up on the bridge where he belonged. This whole trip had been infinitely easier when he couldn't see her. Now that she was on his ship and under his feet, the inexplicable part of him that didn't want her to leave was getting louder by the second, and he'd had to fight a wild urge to order Gaddes to turn his ship around. He told himself firmly that it was all because of the unbelievable improvement in his damaged sister whenever she was with Annie. Her ghost-like smiles had become real, honest-to-goodness grins, and she followed the smaller woman around like a baby chick following it's mother.

Jichia only knew how Celena would handle Annie's departure.

Allen heaved another sigh at that thought, wondering just how bad of a spell she was going to have when the time came.

Suddenly, the floor of the _Crusade_ lurched horrifically beneath his feet, and he was forced to clutch Scherezade's armor to keep upright. The ship straightened out as quickly as it had tipped, and Allen cautiously loosened his grip on the guymelef. Unfortunately, the _Crusade _tilted wildly in the opposite direction, and he toppled head over heels to slam into the far wall in an unceremonious heap. What in the seven hells was Gaddes doing to his ship??

Allen climbed carefully to his feet and manuevred his way toward the bridge as quickly as he could, every possible reason for the sudden lurching of his ship racing through his mind, each more horrific than the last. Was it dragons? Did some unknown country launch a sneak attack against them? Dear gods, the princesses' leviship was infinitely slower and less agile than the _Crusade_, how could he...

His frantic train of thought was derailed as he stumbled onto the bridge and realized the situation was far worse than any he'd imagined. There stood Annie at the helm, an enormous smile plastered on her face, while Gaddes clung to the railing beside her with a shell-shocked, terrified grimace. He seemed to by trying to cajole her into letting him take control of the ship again, while the rest of the crew hung on to anything they could for dear life. Celena gripped the bench she was seated on tightly, but her eyes shone with delight every time the ship careened wildly one way or the other.

Annie straightened the _Crusade _out, and Allen took advantage of the momentary stability to rush over and grab the railing next to Gaddes. The glare he directed toward his first officer could have lit a his hair on fire, and Gaddes quailed visibly.

"What in the name of all Gaea were you thinking, letting Annie fly my ship?" he roared in a decidedly un-Allen-like fashion. His sister and his entire crew stared at him in astonishment, but Annie just laughed.

"She wanted to try it... I didn't think-" Gaddes spluttered out, and Allen cut him off furiously.

"Jichia's sake, are you trying to kill us all?"

Annie snorted in amusement. "Good grief, Al. Calm down before you give yourself an anuerysm. I let you drive my car. Oh- and remember how you broke that mirror off?"

"This is entirely a different matter. Gaddes, take the helm," he snarled mightily as he yanked her away from the controls.

"Yes, sir," Gaddes replied, moving swiftly to reclaim his place. He gave a sideways glance at Annie, who seemed to be seriously contemplating kicking Allen in the shin, and couldn't stop himself from adding, "What was that about a broken mirror?"

"The one and only time I let him drive my car, he ran into a light post. A _light post_. A stationary object. And he broke off my passanger side mirror," Annie informed him with vindictive cheerfulness before Allen could stop her. Gaddes bit back a smile at the dark look on his boss's face, but Annie surveyed the knight with a quirked eyebrow and a growing smirk.

"What the hell happened to you, Al?"

He blinked at her, confused, before he looked down and realized what she was smirking about. His normally immaculate uniform was covered in streaks of dust, and his shining boots were scuffed. He didn't even want to think about what kind of a disheveled picture he presented, evidence of his headlong tumble across the cargo bay. What the hell had he been thinking before? He couldn't wait to get her off his ship and back on the Mystic Moon where she belonged.

"How much farther is Fanelia's capital?" he demanded Gaddes harshly.

* * *

Merle was _not _having a good morning. Hitomi was finally declared well enough to leave her rooms after two long days of bedrest and confinement, but instead of cheerfully helping to make up for the lost days of wedding preparations, all the girl could think about was seeing Van. She practically dragged the cat behind her at breakneck speeds when they and their small entourage headed towards the breakfast room.

"Jeez, Hitomi. You went six years without seeing him. I think you can manage to wait another two miets," Merle complained as she sped along beside her. "Besides, you've got more important things to be thinking about today, like learning some traditional Fanelian dances."

"Dances?" Hitomi asked in astonishment. "Are you saying.... Van actually _dances_?"

Her tone was incredulous and more than a little amused, and she actually stopped in her tracks to grin at the thought. The mental picture of Van doing a waltz- with her, of course- was so totally out of character that she almost laughed out loud. The boy had absolutely no rhythm, which she'd experienced firsthand at the dance club on Earth. Although, at the time, it hadn't mattered, since they were basically just making out on the dance floor, anyway. Her cheeks stained a brilliant crimson at the thought, and she took off down the hallway again.

"Wha- wait! Gods, Hitomi. You just get weirder and weirder," Merle muttered as she hurried after her.

Despite her eagerness, Van was already there and waiting in the breakfast room. He'd moved his chair next to hers again, and she was hard-pressed not to fling her arms around his neck and tackle him to the ground with a hug right there. The way his deep, mahogany eyes lit up when he caught sight of her, despite his nonchalant manner, made her toes tingle in the most delicious way. He started to rise, gave his lap a lightening quick glance, and sat back down with glowing red ears. Hitomi wasn't sure what to make of that, but she was too happy to see him to care.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked with a funny, tightly controlled squeak on the last word when she beamed at him.

"I'm fine, really. It was just a little cold. _Somebody_ overreacted," she replied, turning to give Merle a dirty look. The cat shrugged, but before she could reply, a messenger burst through doors.

"My lord Van! Lady Hitomi," he panted, bowing deeply to the startled couple seated at the table. "I have urgent news! The leviships of the Austurian Princesses Eries and Millerna have been spotted! They will be landing in our capital in less than two hours!"

"What?" Merle shrieked in absolute horror. "But they're not scheduled to arrive for another four days!"

The poor cat squeezed her head between her hands, mumbling away to herself about rearranging rooms and schedules, throwing in a few choice words about the rudeness of early guests. The messenger eyed her nervously before turning back to his king.

"Uh... I'm afraid that's not all, my lord," he stuttered, flashing another wary look at Merle. "Lord Dryden's leviship has been spotted from the south. He should be arriving sometime this afternoon."

"Dragon's teeth! Why are they doing this to me?" Merle moaned, throwing her hands up in wild despair. Van nodded hastily to the messenger and dismissed him before the cat got it in her head to take out her wrath on the poor man. Hitomi was the only one who didn't seem in the least perturbed by the news.

"That's great! I can't wait to see everyone again!" she exclaimed, oblivious to the scorching glare of death a bristling Merle was giving the back of her head. She bared her claws, and Van decided he'd better jump in before she drew blood.

"Merle, everything will work out fine. They're friends- they won't interfere with your plans," he reassured her quickly. She turned her deadly glare on him, and he swallowed hard. "Look, I'll go and greet them myself and... and take them on a tour of the city or something. You just focus on whatever it is that needs doing here, okay?"

"I'll come along, too," Hitomi put in eagerly. Merle started to protest, but she cut her off. "You'll need to be doing the technical stuff like rooms today, right? I'd just be in the way here. Besides, I'm sure Millerna will want to help with all the preparations. She'd be so upset if all my dresses were done already, right?"

She looked imploringly at Van, and he shifted awkwardly. "Uh... sure?" he replied, more a question than an affirmative. Merle seemed to be having a battle with herself.

"Fine. Go along with Lord Van this morning. But later, you're having those dancing lessons," she hissed before sprinting out of the room in a whirlwind of flustered fury. Hitomi swallowed a squeal of pure glee. She was going to escape Merle's obsessive clutches for a whole day! Well, at least part of a day. And to make it even more perfect, she'd be spending the time with Van!! Her grin stretched from ear to ear, but he pushed his food around his plate with a thoughtful frown.

"Is... is something wrong? Do you want me to stay here instead of coming with you?" she asked, her grin faltering. He looked up at her with startled eyes, his surprise that she would even think that evident on his face.

"No, of course not. I just-" he cut off in mid-sentence, frowning again. Hitomi frowned, too, worried about what he wasn't telling her, worried that she'd done something wrong.

"Just what, Van?"

He looked up at her again, like he was debating answering her, and her breath hitched in her throat. Was he getting cold feet? Was the reality of the two of them getting married giving him second thoughts?

"I was just... wondering why they are all arriving early. Wondering if something's wrong," he finally answered slowly. Hitomi let out her pent up breath in a rush, completely relieved.

"Oooh. I see. You're thinking the worst again," she said, nodding. "Maybe it's not something bad, Van. Maybe they're just excited to get everyone together again."

Van stared at her as she cheerfully started eating her breakfast. It was pretty obvious he was wondering if she was being determinedly optimistic or just incredibly naïve, but Hitomi wasn't going to let that spoil her wonderful mood.

"I didn't know you could dance," she piped up in an attempt to change the subject, and nearly laughed at the instant blush blooming on his cheeks.

"I don't. Not well, anyway. I mean, I know how. Technically," he stuttered in embarrassment. Now Hitomi couldn't stop herself from laughing out loud.

"Then I guess I won't have to worry about how bad _I'm _going to be, huh?"

"I'm sure you can't be worse than me," Van replied casually, concentrating on his breakfast. Suddenly, his fork froze halfway to his mouth, and he stared at her with wild, wide eyes. "Wait. Merle's going to make us _dance_?"

"Sounds like it," Hitomi informed him seriously. She patted his arm sympathetically when he cursed quietly under his breath and scowled at his food.

"What was that thing you said we should do? Elope?"

"Merle would find us and kill us," Hitomi reminded him matter-of-factly. He nodded glumly, and the two of them finished their breakfast in silence.

Freed of Merle and her accompaning hordes of maids, Hitomi tagged happily along with Van as he dealt with all the technical difficulties of meeting the Austurians' leviships. She wanted desperately to grab onto his hand like they'd done wandering around carefree on Earth, but she firmly resisted the urge. There was probably some rule against blatant PDA, and she got the sinking feeling that Van would never even consider doing that in front of his people.

In reality, Van was trying as hard as he could to get things organized as quickly as possible just so he and Hitomi could have a few scant moments of freedom- though he doubted they'd be allowed any privacy. The mere thought of spending the day with her made him feel giddy, but, unfortunately, it presented its own complications. His need to touch her, feel her, kiss her, was growing exponentially by the minute, and he was terrified that if he even did so much as take her hand, he'd yank her into the nearest linen closet and do things only a lawfully married couple ought to know about. Damn that Kama Sutra and the ideas it was giving him!

He'd barely gotten the number of carriages and servants needed for the trip sorted out when another messenger barreled up to him with a frantic look on his face.

"Lord Van! The leviships are making better time than we anticipated! They're nearing the landing docks now!"

Van cursed spectacularily under his breath. All his ideas about sneaking into a secluded corner of one of the gardens with Hitomi swiftly died as he barked out last minute orders and followed the frantic messenger to a waiting carriage.

Van did his best to ignore the electric current zinging up and down his arm as he gave Hitomi his hand to help her up the two steps. The dim, rocking confines inside of the carriage certainly didn't help his thoughts out any, even though he was acutely aware he had much more important things to be thinking about at the moment. Hitomi wasn't making things easier, either, since she'd scooted as close to him as she could get as soon as he'd shut the door and sealed them in.

Wait a moment. They were _alone. _In a dim and completely secluded carriage for at least ten miets. _What the hell was he wasting time for? _

He thought ruefully that Hitomi had realized that fact just a few seconds before him, because she slid onto his lap with just the tiniest hint from him and wound her arms around his neck. Their mouths crushed together, and he nipped impatiently at her bottom lip. She responded immediately, lips parting to allow his tongue to roam inside and tangle with her own. Both of her hands were buried in his wild mane of black hair, and he lifted her just enough so that she could straddle his lap. Without breaking the fevered contact of their lips, Van ripped off his gloves and let his warm, calloused hands slide up the deliciously smooth skin of Hitomi's legs on either side of his thighs. From the way she gasped against his mouth, he figured he wasn't doing anything over the line.

But- oh, gods, how he wanted to! Their hands held a frantic urgency as their fingers roved over the other's skin. This stolen moment of intimacy would be so brief, so painfully brief.

Hitomi shuddered and arched her back as Van's smoldering lips trailed down her neck to her exposed collarbone. His teeth nipped at the sensitive skin, and she raked her nails across his scalp with a hissing intake of breath. She was slightly stunned at Van's aggressiveness when he hiked her skirts up around her waist and gripped her hips with his lean, calloused fingers. The rocking, bumping motion of the carriage made her slide around in his lap in a way that had them both moaning.

Van hadn't meant to get so carried away. All he'd been hoping for was a quick taste of her lips and feel of her skin before they reached the landing docks. Instead, his brain shut down as his surpressed needs reared up and took over. One hand came up from her hip to the smooth curve of her breast, and he massaged it through the annoying layer of fabric separating his fingers from the delicate skin.

The carriage coming to an abrupt stop caught them both off guard, and Van cursed wildly under his breath. Hitomi hastily slid off of his lap, quickly smoothing her skirt into place with hands that trembled slightly, and he ran his hands through his hair in a vain attempt to tame it.

The obvious bulge in his pants presented a completely different problem, however. He couldn't very well step out of the carriage with _that _very blatant evidence on display. Forcing his eyes away from Hitomi's pink, kiss-swollen lips, he desperately attempted to dredge up bad memories, nightmares, _anything _to distract his train of thought.

Luckily for him, just thinking about Merle forcing him to dance during one of the wedding ceremonies was an unbelievably quick cure. He took a few desperately needed gulps of air, ran his hands through his hair again, and gave Hitomi a tiny, sheepish grin.

"Ready?" he asked her quietly, relieved and secretly a little proud that she looked about as flustered as he felt. She smoothed her skirt once more, passed a hand over her lips, and gave him a shaky smile.

"Yeah. Sure, ready if you are," she replied, still blushing.

The bright, hot sun outside the carriage made the entire episode feel like something out of a dream, albiet a very _good _dream, and Hitomi wished from the bottoms of her feet that the ride to the landing docks had been just a few minutes longer.

Across a great, green expanse of land, the _Crusade _could be seen sitting near another much more enormous and elaborate leviship. A few of the crew members shouted across the grounds at them, waving, before Gaddes barked at them to show some respect. Hitomi giggled, and even Van cracked a slight smile at how very little things had changed. At either side and behind them, fully uniformed soldiers stood at attention, and several important dignitaries gathered. Their presence made Hitomi shift nervously closer to Van, realizing just how unprepared she really was for the formalities her new position required of her.

The carriage transporting the princesses trundled up to them then, escorted by Allen riding alongside on a dappled mare. He dismounted swiftly, but was thwarted in his attempt at a proper bow by Hitomi throwing her arms around him in a tight hug.

"It's nice to see you again, Allen," she told him fervently, almost laughing at his shocked face. She hadn't realized until that moment exactly how lonely she felt in a sea of strangers with only Merle and Van to cling to. At that moment, she couldn't have cared less about the surprised, semi-scandalized looks the Fanelian dignitaries were giving her, needing only to feel _normal, _like she was simply Hitomi Kanzaki again.

"And you, my Lady," Allen replied formally, managing to incline his head enough to make it look like a bow. Hitomi detached herself from him, stepping back to give him room to open the carriage doors for the princesses. She gave Van a tiny, apologetic smile for breaking protocol, and the warm look he gave her reassured her that he couldn't care less about what the uptight dignitaries thought, anyway.

Millerna appeared first, her eyes fastening on Hitomi with an ecstatic glow as she took Allen's outstretched hand and stepped down. The moment she was on solid ground, the two girls enveloped each other in a tight hug.

"It's so good to see you again, Millerna!" Hitomi exclaimed, and Millerna echoed her as Eries joined them. Her greeting was much more subdued than her sister's, but her smile was genuine and her eyes shone with warmth.

Van did his best to hide his surprise when Allen helped his sister alight from the carriage. She was the last person he'd expected to see in Fanelia- _ever. _Not that she wasn't welcome there. As far as Van was concerned, Celena and Dilandau were two completely separate people, and as Celena, she had no part of what Dilandau had done to his country. No, he'd just never thought her overprotective brother would have allowed her to be somewhere that might cause her pain. Hitomi, true to form, greeted her as enthusiastically as the princesses, despite the fact that she'd only briefly met her once.

"Not that you aren't welcome, but may I ask why you've arrived early?" Van asked Allen, one of his rare smiles tugging at the corners of his mouth. In reply, the knight merely turned to the carriage door again, holding out his hand to assist the last lady. He might as well not have bothered.

The small, brown-haired lady ignored the proferred help and hopped to the ground lightly. Van and Hitomi stared at her curiously as she shook out her skirts and looked up at them with a sheepish grin. Hitomi paled, her hands flying up to her mouth as she gave a gasping shriek.

"_Annie!_"


	9. That's What Friends Are For!

**That's What Friends Are For**

**AN: **_Thanks so much to everyone who read last chapter, and ESPECIALLY to everyone who reviewed. Suils Saifir, Arienhod, thpinkmartini, Ispano-guymelef, KyriaHitomi, kerapal bubbles, mysisterisasquijum, tear-drowned-angel, Niffer, Morroki, Crazymani, and Jaredin Snow. If I missed you, I'm so, so sorry!! I love you all!!_

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_**Keep smiling, keep shining  
Knowing you can always count on me, for sure  
That's what friends are for  
In good times, in bad times  
I'll be on your side forever more  
Oh, that's what friends are for  
**__(That's What Friends Are For: Dionne Warwick)_

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Annie wrinkled up her nose glumly and gave a half-hearted wave at Van and Hitomi's frozen figures.

"Hey. Uh, surprise?" she said into the dead silence surrounding their little group. Her eyes widened as Hitomi suddenly darted forward and nearly knocked them both to the ground as she flung her arms around the smaller girl.

"Oh, Annie!" Hitomi sobbed as she hugged her tightly. The lonliness she'd felt when she'd caught sight of Allen was nothing to the crashing waves of homesickness that were now dragging her under unexpectedly. Until that moment, she hadn't even realized just how much she was beginning to miss everything she'd left behind on Earth. Now, she couldn't stop the tears from streaming down her face as she held on to her best friend even if it would cost her her life.

"Whoa. Hey, Tomi. I know you weren't expecting me and all, but is it really that bad to see me?" Annie asked lightheartedly, even as she flashed Van a look that clearly shouted, 'what the hell did you do to her??'.

"That's not... how could you even think that?" Hitomi choked out between sobs, oblivious to Van shrugging helplessly at Annie's dark glare.

Annie patted her soothingly on the back. "Oh, I see. They're strapping you into a corset, too, huh? Damn things'll kill ya."

Allen and Eries exchanged a lightening quick, sheepish look at that, both secretly glad the tips of their burning red ears weren't visible.

"A corset?" asked Hitomi with confusion as she pushed herself away and wiped her cheeks. "No, that's not- I'm just _so happy_ to see you... You're here! You're really- Wait. How'd you get here?"

"In a leviship. And I even got to fly it for a little bit! Until Captain Crankypants made me stop." Annie shot Allen an evil glare, which he returned with a stony one of his own. Van had to bite back an uncharacteristic grin at how very little their relationship seemed to have changed.

"No, no. I meant how did you get _here. _On Gaea," Hitomi clarified, even though she knew that Annie understood perfectly well what she'd meant.

"Oh, _that,_" Annie replied with a grin. "Actually, I was kind of hoping you could tell me."

Hitomi paled. "What? This wasn't planned... you didn't... Oh, my god! How long have you been on Gaea?"

"Uh... about thirty seconds less than you?"

"You've... been on Gaea... this whole time?" Hitomi squeaked. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know-" she turned to look helplessly at Van, "How did this _happen_?"

He looked as dumbfounded as her, but she whipped back around to face Annie before he could come up with any kind of plausible answer.

"My god, where did you land? Did anything happen- how did you find Allen?"

"Jeez! Breathe, Tomi," replied Annie with a laughing grin. "I didn't have to find Allen at all. He was right there where I ended up. And I've been having a great time, actually. Everyone in Asturia was really nice. A little uptight and all, but after dealing with Allen over Christmas, it wasn't too bad. Well, except that almost getting killed by my dress thing."

"The _what_ thing?" Van asked, looking at Allen and Eries' slightly red faces with confusion. Annie wrinkled up her nose and grimaced.

"I'll tell you a story sometime. But right now, isn't the more important question something like how the hell I'm getting home?"

Hitomi felt a bit of herself curl up and die at the very thought, now that she had Annie here with her. She forced a shaky smile onto her face, though, for her friend's benefit.

"Home. Of course. How soon do you want to go back?" she asked in a voice she was happy only shook a very little.

"Now would be good," Annie replied with a shrug and a hopeful smile. She ignored the twanging pain under her ribcage and forced herself, yet again, to remember all the reasons that gave her no real choice in the matter. She'd just have to pretend she didn't see the disappointed confusion on Celena's face, making it look like the girl somehow hadn't realized that she wouldn't be staying on Gaea forever. And that fleeting spasm on Allen's face must've been a product of her overactive, hopeful imagination.

The crestfallen disappointment on Hitomi's was not, however. Neither was the sheen of tears in her eyes that she was attempting to hide. Combined with Celena's puppy-dog eyes, there was nothing for it but to stay. But only a tiny bit longer... Annie sighed inwardly and gave her best friend a half-hearted smile.

"Well, tonight would work just as good, too," she amended, and sighed again when Hitomi blinked rapidly to keep the teardrops from falling. "Or tomorrow morning, I guess. What's one more day, huh?"

Hitomi nodded quickly and swallowed against the lump in her throat. "Tomorrow morning. I promise. Right, Van?"

"Absolutely," he agreed, giving Annie a tiny, grateful smile.

Annie contemplated both of them hard for a few minutes. "And you're sure it'll work? You can send me back? No problem?"

"It should. It's always worked for us before," Van answered confidently.

"But why are you leaving? Don't you like us?" Celena suddenly burst out, startling everyone who'd come to know the rather silent, child-like woman. Annie squirmed guiltily and gave Allen a swift glare of death. _Obviously_ somebody's older brother hadn't filled her in on that crucial little detail.

"'Course I like you, Celena. But I like a lot of people back on Earth, too, you know," Annie told her cheerfully, linking their arms. "My groszmama would be really sad if I just up and disappeared."

"Oh. Right. Because you're her favorite," Celena replied with a knowledgeable nod. Hitomi stared at the two of them for a moment before bursting into gales of laughter.

"_Annie! _What in god's name have you been telling her? Celena, don't believe a word she says."

Celena looked crestfallen. "So... my brother didn't throw a snowman's head at you? Or get sick on the swing ride?"

"No. No, that all happened," Van couldn't resist throwing in, an amused sparkle in his mahogany eyes at the annoyed look on Allen's face. Celena looked immensely relieved, Millerna stifled a giggle behind her hand, and the glare Allen directed at Annie turned slightly murderous. Van bit back a laugh as he turned in relief at the rumble of hooves and wheels on the cobblestones behind them.

"Ah, the carriages... I thought you all might enjoy seeing the city, especially the marketplace, after being couped up in your leviships," he said politely, gesturing towards the two waiting carriages. The princesses murmured their agreement just as politely, and Allen hid his horror behind a bland, stoic mask. Good gods, he was somehow going to have to keep track of not only Millerna and Eries, but Celena and Annie as well! He doubted Van was planning to stick to a carriage-only tour...

Naturally, Hitomi wanted to ride with Annie, and Celena was stuck to her like glue. Van hid any disappointment at no chance of repeating his earlier carriage ride with Hitomi, and followed them dutifully into the dim interior. That gave Allen little choice but to accompany the princesses.

At least, Van thought ruefully, Annie had the exact opposite idea about what was proper between an almost-married couple than Merle did. He thought she might be contemplating physical harm if he didn't at least take Hitomi's hand. He did better than that; he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and tucked her tightly against his side. Annie beamed at him.

The marketplace was large and bustling, and right now filled with foriegners who had come to the city for the wedding. Celebratory decorations were already in place all over the shops, and the general air of the place was cheerful and festive. Van was, naturally, recognized immediately as he stepped out of the carriage, and a resounding cheer from everyone in the vacinity who realized what was happening went up as Hitomi took his hand and jumped lightly to the ground. Her face burned crimson, and she held Van's fingers in a fierce death-grip, completely panicked by all the excited stares directed at her. Still, she held her head high and did her best to smile cheerfully back at them. After all, they were _happy_ to see her, right?

Besides, people were staring nearly as much as Millerna and Eries- particularily all the men- and they didn't seem fazed in the slightest. They both acknowledged the attention with politely friendly nods and followed nonchalantly after Van as he led them off through the shops. Celena cowered and clung to Annie's arm like a lifeline, which Allen considered a good thing. At least it hampered the wild brunette from disappearing into the crowds willy-nilly. He still wished he had a leash on her, though.

From all sides, they could all catch snatches of what people were saying about them as they moved down the crowded street. Hitomi turned even redder when she heard people shout things like "heroes of the Great War" and even, more ridiculously, calling her the "Wing Goddess". Whatever that was.

Van stopped them at a little stand that sold the best something-or-others in all of Gaea. Neither Hitomi nor Annie could seem to pronounce the name right; the closest they got was _la-pan-a-cucko_. The jumbled mess in the paper-coated cone was sticky and sweet and melted wonderfully on the tongue, and Hitomi thought it might make up for the lack of chocolate on Gaea.

"So, what do you think?" Van asked Hitomi with a quietly proud smile, nodding at the passing crowds to indicate he meant the marketplace as a whole.

"I think it's wonderful, Van. Better than anything I'd imagined," Hitomi answered seriously, and her eyes shone beautifully. The pride in his chest swelled at the honesty in her answer. She smiled at him, and the noisy, crowded marketplace suddenly dimmed into a colorful buzzing in the background. She loved his country! He could see it in her eyes as she looked around them at the bustling streets. But then why, _why_, had she burst into tears and clung to Annie like her life had depended on it? His euphoria faded away as he remembered how she'd looked, hugging her best friend desperately...

"So...Van," Annie suddenly said, and Van turned his head slightly to look down at her. She stared out at the Fanelian men's shirtless, toned abs gleaming in the sun as they went through their daily activities with wide eyes and a growing smile.

"These men. They're all yours, right?"

His brow furrowed in confusion. "Well, they're all Fanelians."

"Right. And you're the Fanelian king, which would make them all _your men_."

"Uh... I guess so. Why?" he returned, completely confused at where she was headed with this line of reasoning. She turned towards him with a positively frightening shark grin stretching across her face.

"Can I have one?" she asked enthusiastically.

"_Annie!_" Allen and Hitomi chastised in unison as Van merely blinked at her in astonishment. She pouted dramatically.

"_Please_? I'll be really nice to him!"

Van fought hard against a laugh, whether from the absurdness of Annie's request, or the befuddled looks of shock on Millerna and Eries' faces, he wasn't quite sure. Allen pinched the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb, looking pained, as Hitomi struggled to hide her giggles and failed miserably. Celena looked a little confused, and she puckered up her mouth in thought.

"You can have Allen, Annie," she suddenly said, shocking everyone. Allen felt his face begin to glow an alarming shade of red as everyone's eyes flickered between he and Annie, sparkling with mirth. Van felt near to exploding with pent-up laughter over the combined hilarity of Allen's reaction and Eries' obvious attempt to maintain her icy composure. Celena's mouth turned down into a slight frown as she watched everyone with wary eyes.

"Aw, that's so nice, Celena! But, you know, I don't think your brother'd be too thrilled about that," Annie said cheerfully, patting her on the shoulder reassuringly. Her eyes positively twinkled with surpressed amusement as her gaze met Allen's glare.

"Yes, he would. He likes you," Celena replied stubbornly. A weird sort of snorting cough broke free from Van, and it took him a minute before he could compose himself enough to force his face back into a nuetral mask. Hitomi elbowed him sharply in the ribs, but she was biting her lips together so hard they'd disappeared into a thin, white line.

Annie's eyebrows twitched and wiggled as she looked over at Allen. He was suddenly very, very interested in the fruitstand across the dusty road. Good gods, his sister was going to kill him. If Annie didn't first.

A sudden commotion in the marketplace distracted all of them, and Allen silently blessed whoever was responsible for causing it. Somebody- a small group of somebodies, actually- was striding up the dusty road towards them. The tall, dark haired man in loosely flowing brown robes at the front of the little procession called out to them loudly.

"Ah, there you are! The famous lovebirds! Jichia above, it only took you six years to figure things out. Although with the way you two are, I guess it's a miracle you figured it out at all," he boomed as he reached them and gave Van a hearty slap on the back.

Allen surpressed a groan and quickly retracted his previous blessing. Why in the name of all the gods was _Dryden_ here, in the market place, _today_? Even Eries' icy composure cracked slightly with surprise at his sudden appearance, but Allen was more worried about Millerna. Asturia's third princess had paled to a frightening shade of white as soon as the man had gotten close enough to be recognized, and now she stood rigid, seemingly incapable of even moving her lips to form a word. Her pansy-colored eyes were locked on to Dryden's form with an intensity that Allen had never witnessed from the princess before as her husband-in-name bent and kissed Hitomi's hand with an exaggerated flourish. He never once glanced in the princess's direction.

"I always knew you'd be coming back, my dear," he announced, winking at her. "Are you sure you came back for Van and not me?"

Hitomi grinned at him, a pink-tinged blush on her cheeks, but Dryden straightened and clapped his hands gleefully before she could answer him.

"So, where is your wonderful little friend, Hitomi?" His eyes scanned their group quickly, without touching on Millerna, and landed on Annie's shark grin. "Ah, there she is! The lovely lady who scandalized the entire Asturian court in just under two days!"

"You _what?_" Van and Hitomi gasped together as Annie literally beamed from ear to ear.

"I didn't do it all by myself, you know. Al helped out a bit."

Dryden smirked hugely and shot a mocking look at Allen. "Oh, yes. I heard all about how much he 'helped'."

Allen took a deep, calming breath, and willed himself not to turn a spectacular shade of maroon under Dryden and Annie's laughing gazes. It was vaguely frightening how their expressions of gleeful mockery were so identical, especially given the fact that the two of them had just met moments ago.

"Annie, what did you _do_?" asked Van with trepidation coloring his voice. In all honesty, he really didn't want to know what kind of scandal she'd caused in Asturia, in particular any bits that involved the blond playboy knight, but if it was something of a political nature...

"Stop stressing, Van. I didn't start a war or anything," Annie replied cheerfully. "Honestly, man. You better watch your blood pressure if you wanna live to see your grandbabies."

"Blood pressure?" Van repeated, all of the Gaeans looking at each other in confusion.

"_Stress,_ dude. It's a killer," she replied seriously. "Take Al here, for example. The man's so uptight he's going to die by the time he's forty."

Celena gasped and clutched at Allen's arm in panic. Annie's wide, laughing grin shrank a little at the girl's reaction.

"Joking, Celena, joking! Your brother's going to live to be a crotchety old man. Honest!"

"Crotchety? What a spectacular word! Crotchety! I must remember to call my old man that next time I see him!" Dryden exclaimed gleefully. He held out his hand to Annie. "Dryden Fassa, by the way. Very pleased to meet you."

"Annie Goettenberg, and man am I glad to meet someone with a half-decent sense of humor on this rock."

The two of them beamed at each other like a pair of cheshire cats. Allen and Van exchanged a nervous look, a sick feeling settling into their stomachs.

"Lord Dryden, I apologize that I was not there to meet you when you arrived. I guess we all lost track of time..." Van began in a weak attempt to separate the two of them. He could practically smell the trouble brewing in the air around them as it was.

"Nevermind, nevermind," Dryden replied with a casual flap of his hand. "And just Dryden, if you please. Never did like that "Lord" crap." He turned back to Annie with an eager twinkle in his eye. "So! I'm dying to hear what _really _happened in the palace gardens!"

"Me, too, actually," said Hitomi, arching an eyebrow. "_Vino_ doesn't play a part in the scandalizing, does it?"

Annie sighed tragically. "Sadly, no. _Somebody _cut me off at two glasses."

Eries looked grimly smug at that, and Van silently congratulated her for her foresight. Although, after Hitomi's incident all those years ago, it wasn't all that surprising. One less drunken maiden to be carried to bed by an overly chivalrious Allen.

"Let's finish this conversation in the carriages. Merle is expecting us soon," he commented casually, and once again led the small procession through the crowds.

Dryden's presence had shifted the dramatic of the group enormously. He walked along jovially, one arm linked through Annie's as they laughed loudly at each other's remarks. Celena clung to Annie's other arm, as if she was afraid the brown-haired girl was going to disappear any moment. Walking side by side like that, it was hard to believe that the three of them hadn't been friends for their entire lives.

Merle rushed out to the courtyard to meet them as their carriages pulled to a stop. Amazingly, she managed to restrain herself from her usual pounce the moment Van came into view, but she still squealed out "Lord Van!" in her typical fashion. She greeted the princesses with the proper respect their positions commanded, but Millerna ignored protocol and hugged the now much taller cat girl.

"And you are...?" Merle asked with an questioning look when she finally noticed Annie.

"Oh! Sorry, Merle. This is Annie," Hitomi broke in. "Annie, this is Merle."

"Obviously," replied Annie with a smile. She held out her hand to the cat-girl, looking her up and down with a smirk. "Wow. I know a few fan-boys who'd kill to met you."

Merle took her hand limply with a confused expression blooming across her face. "Annie? As in, the Annie from the Mystic Moon?"

"Seriously, call it Earth, _please_. 'Mystic Moon' sounds like something a seriously geeked-out gamer boy came up with," Annie insisted with a grimace.

"I kind of like 'Mystic Moon'," Hitomi said thoughtfully. "I think it sounds more... more mysterious or something."

"Please. I'd much rather be an Earthling than a Mystic Mooner."

Merle broke into their conversation with a wild expression. "But- _what's she doing here?_"

"Merle..." Van began warningly, but Annie cut him off.

"Hey, no worries. I'm leaving tomorrow morning, so I won't be here long enough to mess anything up. How's the wedding planning coming, by the way?"

"Miserably. I've got the most uncooperative bride and groom known to man," Merle stated, giving the sheepish couple a deadly glare. "Honestly, they're always trying to sneak off together when they should be preparing for the ceremonies!"

"Awesome. That's what I like to hear!" Annie replied enthusiastically, beaming at Van. He turned scarlet and cleared his throat.

"Perhaps our guests would like to be shown to their rooms, Merle?" he said pointedly. She caught on quickly.

"Of course. Right this way, please," she said, bowing slightly before hurriedly escorting the small group into the castle where a retinue of servants were waiting to assist them.

Van snatched Hitomi's hand and pulled her back from the others, tugging her into a convieneintly shadowed alcove in the wall. She turned to look at him, and he wished to all the gods that he could think of an excuse to take another private carriage ride with her. At least the hall was quiet and semi-private now that the hordes of maids and servants waiting to help their guests had dispersed.

"What's up, Van?" Hitomi asked him quietly, surprise in her brilliant, green eyes at his odd behavior. He had to tear his eyes away from her lips so he could remember what he wanted to ask her.

"I, uh- Are you alright?" he managed to get out, and mentally smacked himself for sounding so stupid when she frowned in confusion.

"What do you mean? I'm fine, Van."

"You were upset when you first saw Annie, and I know you aren't happy she's leaving so soon..." he trailed off as her eyes slid away from him and her shoulders drooped. His stomach twisted up anxiously; was she having second thoughts about staying here with him? He couldn't blame her if she was, but the very thought sent a shot of pure, terrified dread pouring through him.

"Hitomi... if you-"

She cut him off, still without looking at him. "Annie was right for refusing to come here with me for the wedding. Now that I've got her here, I don't want to let her go. I feel like... like I _need _her here, so I'm not so alone," she whispered. "It hurts to know I've got to send her away."

She sighed and leaned her forehead against Van's chest, and he instinctively wrapped his arms around her. What was he supposed to say to that? They'd both known it was going to be hard, having her give up everything to be together, and it killed him to know there was nothing he could do or say to make it easier on her. The fact that he was terrified she might demand to be sent back with Annie tomorrow morning certainly wasn't helping him, either.

"I'm sorry, Hitomi. I'm so sorry," he murmured into her hair as he stroked her back in what he hoped was a comforting manner. Comforting someone really wasn't his forte.

Her hands came up to grip the front of his shirt, and she sighed heavily. "It's not your fault, Van. I'm being a baby about it. I know I should just try to enjoy the little time that Annie'll be here..."

"Would it help if you spent the rest of the day with her, just the two of you?" Van asked her quietly, desperately trying to think of anything that would make things easier for her. She pulled back to look up at him with shining eyes and a tentative smile, and his heart leapt to think he might have actually said something right for once.

"That would be awesome, Van! But..." her face fell and she chewed on her bottom lip. "Merle'll never allow it. And wouldn't it be breaking some kind of protocol or something?"

"Damn the protocol. Besides, everyone will understand," he assured her confidently, determined to let her have her day with her best friend no matter what. "And don't worry about Merle. I'll talk to her; she won't give you any trouble about it."

Hitomi wrapped her arms around him and abruptly pressed her lips against his in a searing kiss. Van returned it eagerly, and a little smugly, thinking that he really was getting better at this sort of thing. Knowing that they'd only have a few minutes at best, he deepened the kiss and pressed her as close to his body as possible. Who knew when someone would-

"_There you two are!_" Merle hissed suddenly, causing the skin to nearly jump off of their bones. "Every time I turn my back... Hitomi! You've got those dance lessons right now, and-"

"No dance lessons," Van interupted firmly in the authoritative voice even Merle knew better than to question. "No anything at all, Merle. Hitomi and Annie will be having supper in her rooms, _privately_. And they're not to be disturbed, understand?"

"But... but, Lord Van!" Merle protested, surprised despair in her voice.

"Merle, honestly, we appreciate everything you're doing for us. Really, we do," he told her in a much gentler tone. "But Annie's only here until tomorrow, and she and Hitomi need some time together."

"Please, Merle," Hitomi put in earnestly. The cat-girl stared at the two of them, her face the picture of frustration, before pinching her mouth shut and turning away.

"Alright. I'll see that Annie's sent directly to your rooms, Hitomi," she announced as she hurried off down the hallway.

"Thank you, Merle! I promise I'll do anything you ask me to do tomorrow!" Hitomi called after her. The cat just waved over her shoulder and disappeared around a corner. Hitomi turned back to Van, grinning, and wished she could push him back into the alcove and show him just how grateful she was. Instead, she took his hand and let him escort her to her rooms to wait for Annie.

Once in front of her doors, Hitomi turned to look at him, her fingers still entwined with his. The look of pure gratitude on her face made him wish he could wrap his arms around her and bury her under kisses so badly that he had a hard time restraining himself.

"Thank you so much, Van. For doing this for me," she murmured quietly to him, and he gave her the small, sweet smile that he reserved especially for her.

"I'd do anything for you," he told her seriously, and he meant it. Even sending her back to the Mystic Moon, if that's what she wanted, though it would destroy him.

He could see Annie being led up the hallway by a maid, and he gave Hitomi's hand one last squeeze before letting go. It wrenched at his worried heart to turn and walk away, but he did it for her sake. Now he just had to pray she didn't change her mind about staying with him while she spent her last few hours with her best friend.

That, and survive a formal supper with the Austurian princesses and Dryden. Yeah, _that _was going to be a barrel of laughs.

Good gods, why couldn't things just be _simple _for once??


	10. Angel

**Angel**

**AN: **_Hmmm... There is no Hitomi/Van fluff in this one! Please don't kill me!! There is major fluff coming for them, along with some nice, tart limes. I swear. Next chapter will have a nice chunk of it in there, and that's a promise. So please, bear with this chapter. It really didn't turn out anything like I expected it to, and there are lots of it I'm really, really not happy with. Constructive criticism would be most helpful!!  
__**THANK YOU A HUNDRED THOUSAND TIMES TO ALL MY REVIEWERS! KIMMI0490, MYSISTERISASQUIJUM, MORROKI, KERAPAL BUBBLES, KYRIAHITOMI, JAREDIN-SNOW, LILYPADDIES, ISPANO-GUYMELEF, THEPINKMARTINI, ARIENHOD, SUILS SAIFIR, CRAZIMANI, SEISMICSCHRAPNEL, ENYALIE1134, NIFFER, AND BLACKVELVET-SMILE!!!!!!!!!!! **__You guys absolutely are the reason I'm still working on this and haven't given in to the despair of writer's block. Thank you!!_

_

* * *

_

_There must be an Angel with a smile on her face  
When she thought up that I should be with you_...

* * *

"For the love of- Hitomi! Are you telling me that you and Van do even _less _now than you did on Earth?"

Hitomi winced and prayed that the walls were sound-proofed enough that Annie's irate shriek wouldn't have been heard halfway across the castle.

"Thanks, Annie. I wanted that broadcast to every maid within hearing distance," she grumbled, chucking a pillow off the bed they were both sprawled on at her livid best friend.

Annie caught it and rolled her eyes. "_Please_. The maids know exactly how much you and Van are- or in your case _aren't_ doing. If there's one thing I learned in Austuria, it's that the servants know _everything_."

"Really?"

"Hell, yeah. Worse than any Valley girl for gossip, believe me. But Hitomi-" she gave her an earnest, pained look- "Tell me you were kidding. The only times you've gotten to make out with Van were when you fell in a pond and then in the carriage? Which, _eeew_, by the way. You could've warned me before I climbed into your rockin' 'Carriage of Love' today."

Hitomi blushed scarlet. "We didn't have time to get far enough for there to be any Ew Factor. It was only like a ten minute ride."

"So, altogether, you've had about fifteen minutes of hands-on goodness since you've been here?" Annie asked incredulously.

"Yeah. That's about it."

"But.... _Why?_" demanded Annie, confused and dumbfounded.

Hitomi sighed and flopped onto her back on the bed. "Simple. Protocol and straight-laced morals. That, and Merle's keeping me prisoner in fitting rooms and wedding preparations all day long. We hardly even see each other."

"Well, that's just plain ridiculous. I mean, next week you're getting married, what the hell difference can it make _now?_ Are they gonna be checking the sheets the morning after for some blood, too?"

Hitomi paled. "I hadn't thought of that. Oh, god, they probably will, too! What if- what if I don't bleed? Then they'll all think... oh no!"

"Hey, hey, calm down!" Annie implored her quickly. "First of all, I really hope nobody's disturbed enough to do that, and second of all, you can always poke your finger and smear some blood on the sheets if you need to. See? No problem!"

"I can't believe I'm even talking about this!"

"What? Planning how to make sure there's proof of your virginity?" Annie asked innocently. "Hey, what are friends for, right?"

"You're sure you have to leave tomorrow?" Hitomi asked in a small, timid voice. She didn't want to put pressure on Annie, honestly she didn't, but she couldn't help the tremble in her words.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Annie replied with a heavy sigh. "Believe me, Tomi, I'd love to stay here with you, at least until you're happily married. But I just can't. There's too many worried people waiting for me back home, and I don't want your family getting into trouble because I disappeared. And waiting would just make it harder for both of us..."

"Yeah, I know. I understand, I do. It's just... it's so _hard. _Harder than leaving you behind on Earth. I've been so _lonely_," Hitomi admitted in a painful, raw voice, then buried her face in her pillow. She felt a small hand smooth down her hair gently.

"It'll be alright, Tomi. It'll get better. I _know _it will. In a few days, you'll be married, and then Van'll wear you out so much you won't have the energy to feel lonely," Annie reassured her in a low, quiet voice. "And then you'll have eight babies to run after because the two of you will breed like rabbits, and you'll wish like everything you _could _feel lonely again."

"Ha ha ha."

"Well, they _did _give you guys the Fertility Blessing, didn't they? I'd say you're screwed, babe."

Hitomi rolled over then, a huge grin pulling at her mouth. "Oh, you should've been there, Annie! Van's face... if I hadn't been so embarrassed myself, I would've died laughing!"

"Yeah, I miss everything good, don't I? But _you _should've been there to see the ridiculous prom dress Eries shoved me into the first night. Oh! And their faces when I showed them my bare feet... Glorious!"

Annie's face took on a dreamy expression, obviously reliving the dubious joys of scandalizing the Asturian court, and Hitomi giggled.

"I would've loved to see Allen's reaction to all that," she admitted cheerfully, and Annie suddenly smirked.

"Oh, he was way too busy staring at my cleavage to pay attention to much else," she said airily. Hitomi gawked at her, and she rolled over onto her back and looked up at the ceiling nonchalantly. "I wonder how supper's going..."

As a matter of fact, supper was _not_ going well. At least, not from Van's perspective, anyway. Hitomi and Annie's absence seemed to have been expected, though Dryden expressed disappointment at not being able to see his newly minted 'favorite person in the world' again that evening. The tension level in the room had ratcheted up a notch at that, with Millerna's ramrod straight back stiffening up to the point that Van was seriously concerned about a spinal injury. And he wasn't altogether sure the narrowed, icy glares Allen shot at the merchant were only due to worries over the princess's well-being. Celena sat listlessly silent in her seat, making no move to touch the food placed in front of her, and Van wondered if it made him a bad person for being grateful that her obvious unhappiness was a distraction for her brother.

"It's absolutely decided that Annie will return to the Mystic Moon tomorrow morning, then?" Dryden asked conversationally, helping himself to another slice of warm bread and buttering it generously. Celena gave a tiny, involuntary whimper, and Allen turned towards her in concern. Which, Van considered, was a good thing, since it disrupted the narrowed glare he'd focused on the merchant.

"Yes. She's anxious to get home," Van replied carefully, and Dryden heaved a sigh.

"What a pity. It's so very rare that I meet someone so very amusing. And pretty, too."

The table lapsed into an awkward silence, which the merchant seemed cheerfully oblivious to, and Van wondered idly if Millerna's food was about to burst into flames. The glare she was directing at it should've melted a whole right through the table, at the very least.

"So, your business has been going well, Lord Dryden?" Eries finally spoke up into the loud stillness. Millerna looked like she had an intense desire to throw her plate at her sister's head.

"Oh, certainly. There was an incredible need for good, honest merchants in the aftermath of the War-"

"_Honest _merchants? Isn't that an oxymoron?" Millerna cut in, her teasing voice laced with acid. For the first time since he'd joined them in the market place, their eyes met- and clashed. Dryden's blandly cheerful face seemed at odds with the calculating look he was giving the princess, and he steepled his hands under his chin in an almost identical manner as his father.

"An oxymoron? I must disagree. A rarity, for sure, but not unheard-of," he replied with a perfectly polite smile.

"Hm. I'm sure _I've _never met one," Millerna informed him sweetly. Van wasn't sure whether he should be horrified or relieved when Dryden burst into a loud fit of laughter. On the one hand, the unpredictable merchant didn't seem to have taken any offense at the princess's thinly veiled insult, but if Millerna sat up any straighter, her spine would surely snap from the strain.

Van gave Eries a pleading look, but she gave dainty shrug. Clearly, she was just as much at a loss at thinking up a safe discussion topic as he was. Allen, the original smooth-talker, was no help, either. He was too busy trying to convince his listless sister to take a bite of something. Apparently, his considerable talent of persuasion was ineffective on Celena.

"_No_! I don't _want _anything," she burst out abruptly in a loud, angry voice, startling everyone at the table as she knocked the piece of bread Allen was holding out of his hand with a wild swipe of her arm. Her wine goblet toppled over, sending a crimson stain seeping across the pale linen tablecloth. Allen sat back in his chair, pursing his lips and obviously at a loss on how to deal with the situation.

Eries grabbed at the excuse to leave and rose swiftly to her feet. "It's been a very tiring day. Perhaps you'd care to retire with me, Celena?" she asked as she held her hand out to the girl.

Millerna stood swiftly as well, and her goodnights were stiffly polite in the extreme. Her gaze skimmed over Dryden like he was nothing more than an irritating insect before she followed her sister and Celena out of the room.

Van slumped down in his seat with an audible sigh, wondering to himself whether things would've gone better or worse with Hitomi there that evening. Better, definitely, if Hitomi had been there- at least as far as he was concerned. But infinitely worse if Annie had been there. And thank the gods Merle had been too busy to join them...

"So, Van! How does it feel to be on the edge of losing your bachelorhood?" Dryden suddenly asked, peering at him with a wide grin.

"Uh..." Van wasn't sure what to make of the question, much less formulate an answer. Dryden seemed to think this was a very bad response, judging by the way his eyebrows nearly shot off his forehead.

"Oh, heavens! Don't tell me you've yet to '_become a man_', too!"

Van knew the scarlet burn flushing his skin from hairline to collarbone was a dead giveaway, and he hunched down in his seat with a dark glower. "It takes more than that to '_become a man'_," he grumbled lamely in his defense.

"Great Jichia, the boy's an innocent," Dryden muttered, rubbing his temples and squeezing his eyes shut with a pained grimace. "Do we need to educate you on the finer points of-"

"_No!_ Good gods, no!" Van interrupted wildly. He shuddered violently at the memory of the 'education' he'd already been forced to sit through with his council.

"What makes you think you'd be qualified to do such a thing, anyway?" asked Allen, torn between embarrassment that this conversation was happening at all and annoyance at the fact that he was fairly sure this was all a joke on Dryden's part.

"Well, I _am _the only married man here," the merchant stated blandly, and Allen snorted.

"Oh, yes. And you're just swimming in domestic bliss."

"Hm. You do have a point," Dryden replied thoughtfully. "Perhaps you _could_ give Van better advice than I, considering all the practice you recently had in the gardens... Did you really rip Annie's corset, by the way?"

"It wasn't like that. She has a breathing disorder," Allen hissed back through clenched teeth.

"Ah, is that what they're calling it these days?" Dryden asked idly, a smug grin on his face. "I must be getting old. It used to be called just plain old se-"

Allen cut him off abruptly as he rose swiftly to his feet. "Excuse me. I really must check on my sister."

Dryden didn't even bother to hide his amused grin as the blond knight gave a perfunctory bow and hastily left, his polished boots clomping angrily away in a decidedly un-Allen-like fashion.

"Well, now. Isn't that interesting?" the merchant murmured to himself after the sound had died away. Van appeared lost in unpleasant thoughts, his brow scrunched up in consternation.

"Wait- Allen ripped Annie's corset?"

* * *

The Fanelian palace seemed eerily quiet and still in the darkness of the middle of the night. Annie tried not to notice it as she stole silently through the moonlit hallways toward Allen's room, the thin silk of her nightdress billowing around her calves as she moved. She was fairly certain that he'd have something close to an apopoleptic fit when he saw her standing at his door in the white silk nightie, but other than that, she wasn't altogether sure how he'd react. Would he slam the door in her face? Would he stand in the doorway and make it politely obvious how thrilled he was that she would be disappearing from his world forever tomorrow morning? Or would he actually listen to what she had to say?

What _did _she have to say, anyway? Annie paused for a moment in uncertainty. _Something _was driving her through the Fanelian castle, forgetting even to stop and put a robe on, but she just couldn't put her finger on what it was. She was leaving tomorrow morning, for good as far as she knew, so maybe... maybe she just felt the need to tell the pompous (and irritatingly sexy) man goodbye.

Yeah. That had to be it.

Allen paced the spacious confines of his room, feeling like a restless, caged animal. His normally perfect coif of hair was completely disheveled from the number of times he'd ran his hands through it, though he couldn't really figure out why he felt so frustrated. For the first time in his life, he'd merely flung his blue overcoat, shirt, and tie into a crumpled heap on the floor instead of carefully folding and hanging them with reverence, and his boots and socks were removed with equal force.

What the hell was wrong with him? He'd never felt so out of sorts in his entire life, and he wasn't so oblivious to not realize that it was due to the inescapable fact that Annie would be leaving Gaea tomorrow. Leaving _him._ No, he fully realized this was why he was pacing around the room like a man possessed, but it only served to thoroughly confuse and piss him off.

She wasn't anything to him. Not a damn thing. How many times had she made that clear? How many times did she make it obvious just how anxious she was to get back to the Mystic Moon and forget all about Gaea? And he certainly wouldn't miss all the trouble that followed her around like a haze. He _wouldn't _miss her. He didn't want her to stay!

A firm knock on his door interupted his angry pacing, and he marched over to it, bare feet slapping hard against the smooth wooden floor. Irritated, he flung the door wide to reveal a small figure clad only in diaphanous white silk.

_Oh, gods._

Allen sucked in a breath and tried desperately to frame a coherent thought as most of the blood in his brain was divereted.... lower. And there he stood, wearing nothing but the tight pants of his uniform and no long overcoat to cover it up with.

"Annie... what-?" he began, but abruptly stopped as he didn't trust his voice to say much more than that. What in Jichia's name wasshe doing there, with her tousled, mahogany hair, pale, smooth skin, and a nightdress that was practically see-through in the moonlight streaming through the window behind her??

She was trying to kill him, that's what.

Her eyes seemed glued to his naked chest as she bit her soft lips to hide a smirk. Yep, definitely trying to kill him.

"I like it, Al. It's a new look for you. But hey- anything's an improvement over that uniform," she told him casually, arching an eyebrow without looking up from his lean, toned chest.

A muscle in his jaw twitched in irritation even as he noticed with disturbing elation that their proximity and his height gave him an unparalleled view of her enticing cleavage. And since she appeared to be oogling _his _chest, it was only fair that he- _oh, shit __**again**__._

Annie had suddenly tilted her head to look up at his face, and Allen knew he was blushing crimson from being caught looking down her nightdress.

"You liking the view, too?" she asked him in the same tone a stranger might use to ask someone if they liked the scenery, but it was completely at odds with the amused quirk twisting her mouth into a grin.

"I- well, I... that is-" spluttered Allen, making her grin all the wider at his flustered attempts to graciously get out of his embarrassing predicament. He swiped a hand through his messy hair and sucked in a deep breath.

"Is there something I can help you with, Annie?" he finally asked, defaulting to his standard formal stiffness.

The grin on Annie's face abruptly faltered, replaced swiftly by a slight frown as she wrinkled up her forehead in confusion.

"I don't know."

"You... don't know," Allen echoed in disbelief. "You mean to tell me that you knocked on my door in the middle of the night, without so much as a robe-" he did his utmost not to look away from her face as he said that, "- and you don't even know _why_?"

Annie scrunched her face up, thinking. "Yep. I guess so."

Allen leaned his shoulder heavily against the door-frame_, _pinching the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb and squeezing his eyes shut tightly in exasperation. "_Annie_. How much vino did you drink tonight?"

"Ha ha. Two glasses. Which would hardly be enough to put me under. Weak-assed shit," she grumbled under her breath. Allen cracked an eye open to glare at her for her foul mouth, but he had to admit that she didn't sound drunk. No, whatever zaniness she was up to now was being done completely sober.

"I have no idea why I'm here. I thought, maybe..." she trailed off quietly, her brown eyes sliding away from him to stare blankly at the wall. "I'm going home tomorrow. I doubt I'll ever come back here, and I just..." Her brown eyes swiveled back, pinning him, as he did his best to ignore the mystifying stab of pain that shot through him with her words. They stared at each other silently before she shrugged and looked away again.

"I don't know why, but I just wanted to... talk to you again. Before I leave for good."

Allen couldn't frame a suitable reply. It was all he could do to keep his mouth shut tightly and not beg her to stay another day, another week, another _hour_. He wouldn't try to deny how badly he wanted to bury his hands in her hair and kiss her until she was a senseless pile of goo- dammit, that nightdress was practically _see-through_, for Jichia's sake! No, the frightening part was how badly he wanted to just hold her, keep her locked in his arms with no chance of leaving...

Annie turned back to look at him, and suddenly he realized he was going to do one or the other, whether to kiss her or hold her. Maybe both. There really wasn't any other choice, because... dammit! _He didn't want her to leave!_

She took a tiny step forward, her eyes locked on his, and his right hand reached out to brush her thick, silky hair away from her cheek. Some crazy part of his brain that was still trying to think logically was telling him to kiss her first, then hold on for dear life. He leaned slowly in to her, watching as her big doe-eyes fluttered shut.

_**"Noooo!"**_

The anguished wail abruptly rose and fell, echoing through the hallway. Annie's eyes snapped open, and she jumped away from Allen like someone had poked her with a cattle prod. His eyes were wide and filled with worry as the wailing intensified, punctuated by several loud crashes.

"Al, what the hell-?" Annie breathed out in shock, but he was already striding towards the door slightly down the hall from his own.

"Celena- one of her fits. I _knew _this would happen!"

He flung the door open hastily and darted inside, calling his sister's name, begging her to calm down. Annie could hear his attempts to soothe her as her wails turned into a long, drawn out screech. She shivered in the moonlight of the hallway at the inhuman sound, wondering whether she should follow Allen or not. He most certainly wouldn't want her help.

But Celena! Poor, sweet, childish Celena screaming and fighting with her demons all alone inside her head...

To hell with it! She was going to help Celena whether Allen wanted her to or not. She skidded to a stop at the doorway, and anxiety twisted her stomach into painful knots as she took in the scene in front of her.

Celena's room was completely disheveled; bedclothes were strewn across the room, broken shards of glass littered the floor from the shattered mirror, and at least one chair had been reduced to a twisted heap of firewood. Celena herself was slumped on the floor with her back to the doorway, ripping wildly at her head while Allen knelt in front of her. He was frantically trying to keep her from tearing out great chunks of her silvery-blond hair but was only getting mauled himself in the process.

Annie hesitated on the threshold for a long moment, oblivious to the two servants who came up behind her to look into the room before hurrying away again. What could she, little, weirdo Annie, do to help? It broke her heart to see them struggling like that on the hard, wooden floor.

A flash of white caught Allen's eye, and he looked up in horror to see Annie approaching them slowly across the room. Panic of a different sort gripped him as she came closer.

"No. Don't. It's not safe," he implored, his eyes pleading with her to back away from his dangerous sister before she got within arm's reach. If Annie heard him, she chose to ignore him, and he could only watch in anxious trepidation as the small girl knelt behind his sister and wrapped her arms around her.

Celena bucked and thrashed, but Annie held on with determination, all the while murmuring soothing reassurances to her. Allen caught his sister's hands before she could reach up and rip at her new captor. It took him several minutes before he realized Annie was singing softly into her ear.

_  
In the arms of an angel  
Fly away from here  
From this dark cold hotel room  
And the endlessness that you fear  
You are pulled from the wreckage  
Of your silent reverie  
You're in the arms of the angel  
May you find some comfort there_

Celena stopped fighting so viciously, though her eyes stared blindly, wildly, at something no one else could see. Her screams subsided into shuddering moans as Annie loosened her hold and shifted her tenderly into a better position. Allen barely acknowledged Gaddes and several of his crew sliding to a halt in the doorway. Their sharp eyes took in the scene with apprehensive wariness, assessing the need to restrain the girl now leaning against Annie's small frame. They'd all witnessed her violent fits, and they stared now in disbelief as Celena allowed herself to be rocked back and forth gently. Annie smoothed the sweat-soaked hair away from the blue-violet eyes as she continued to sing softly._  
_

_So tired of the straight line  
And everywhere you turn  
There's vultures and thieves at your back  
And the storm keeps on twisting  
You keep on building the lie  
That you make up for all that you lack  
It don't make no difference  
Escaping one last time  
It's easier to believe in this sweet madness, oh  
This glorious sadness that brings me to my knees_

Celena was silent now, and limp, laying helplessly in Annie's arms. Her eyes were shut, but tears flowed freely down her ivory face. Allen held her hands tightly, fighting his own tears at the pain on her face while Annie rocked her gently, like a mother would. Millerna and Eries flew through the doorway then, but stopped abruptly when Allen gave a curt shake of his head. The sedatives in Millerna's hands wasn't necessary- for now. Whatever magic Annie's voice was creating seemed more potent than any drug any of the multitude of doctors had tried on his sister before.

_In the arms of an angel  
Fly away from here  
From this dark cold hotel room  
And the endlessness that you fear  
You are pulled from the wreckage  
Of your silent reverie  
You're in the arms of the angel  
May you find some comfort here..._

From the shadows just outside the doorway, Dryden watched the entire scene with sharp, hooded eyes. He didn't miss the way the agonizing pain in Allen's eyes lifted slightly when he looked at Annie, nor the echoing pain on Annie's face when she saw the suffering etched on his features. He certainly didn't miss the way the outside world had disappeared for them at the moment. All they could see clearly was Celena and each other, whether or not they realized it.

What he couldn't tell was what Millerna was thinking as she watched the trio huddled on the floor. Helpless? Jealous? Glad? Was she upset that Annie had been able to soothe Allen's sister in a way that she had never been able to, despite all her medical training and plethora of drugs? Did the gratitude in Allen's eyes, directed at someone else, rankle her?

_What was she feeling?_

Dryden sighed heavily as he silently eased himself down the shadows of the hallway toward his private rooms. He found himself wishing, not for the first time, that Allen Shezar's bachelorhood (and therefore availability) would die a swift and permanent death. If only Annie wasn't leaving tomorrow! He might've been able to use her odd relationship with Allen to his advantage...

Ah, well. Life was full of what-ifs and if-only's. Millerna clearly thought of him as less than a speck of dust on her shoe; she'd made that abundantly clear at supper. Nothing left for it but to burn those letters overflowing the chest in his office and forget about her.

Ha. Yeah, right.

_But it's time to face the truth  
I will never be with you..._

_

* * *

_**AN: **_Two songs are: "You're Beautiful" by James Blunt, and "Angel" by Sarah McLachlan_


	11. Don't Worry! Be Happy!

**Don't Worry, Be Happy!**

**AN: **_I apologize for the hiatus this story was in. I suffer from a long-term mental illness, and I had a bad relapse. However, I am slowly getting back to functioning. Medications help, but they tend to kill any creative juices. So, once again- apologies! This chapter isn't very well written, but it is long. And there's some VH lime (although badly written) at the end.  
__**Many, many thanks to all my reviewers! Crushinator, Cloudancer, Suils Saifir, Lilypaddies, xEternalxDarknessx, nee, SilverSanctuary, DoofiPhoenix, inupupby5, Revan's split personality, mysisterisasquigum, kerapal bubbles, tear-drowned-angel, kimmi0490, blackvelvet-smile, Crazimani, DolphinWhisperer, Ispano-guymelef, KyriaHitomi, thepinkmartini, and Jaredin Snow!!!!!  
Thank you all so much! You've helped me more than you know!**_

_**

* * *

****Don't worry, be happy  
Cause when you worry your face will frown  
And that will bring everybody down  
So don't worry, be happy!  
**(Don't Worry, Be Happy; Bobby McFerrin)_

_

* * *

_

Morning dawned, pale and hazy, over Fanelia's royal gardens. Hitomi stood on her balcony and watched it creep over the grounds with an achy, sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. Time had moved so painfully quickly, and now she was facing a second goodbye to her almost-sister.

She hated it. She _hated _it.

Selfishly, she wished for a miracle. That Annie would change her mind, and live happily ever after on Gaea. Why couldn't the crazy girl just have fallen in love with someone, Allen, _anyone_ here on Gaea so that she'd _want _to stay?

Hitomi gave a watery giggle at the fleeting mental image of Annie flinging her arms around Allen and refusing to leave him. As if something like that was even remotely possible...

The double doors to her rooms were suddenly flung open so violently that they banged off the walls, and Hitomi twirled around in alarm.

"...are _not _unacceptable. Girls wear pants all the time on Earth!" Annie insisted loudly as she marched through the doorway, Merle right behind her.

"Really? Do they also advertise "Farm Fresh Melons" on their breasts as well?" Merle hissed sarcastically, baring her claws.

Annie smiled innocently at her. "Only the ones with something good to advertise. Now you," she eyed Merle's front critically, "could maybe get away with "Farm Fresh Peaches". You're a little small for that, but they'd both be covered in fuzz."

"_Excuse me?_"

"You heard me, kitty."

Hitomi thought it was high time she jumped in before one of them drew actual blood. "Hey, you two. Isn't it a bit too early to be arguing?"

Annie answered with a definitive "hell, yes" at the same time that Merle growled "Not at all". They glared at each other until Annie broke it off to stomp over and flop herself into the nearest chair.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm too damn tired to keep fighting," she moaned. "My god, Tomi. Nobody here's ever heard of coffee. Can you believe it? How the hell do they survive??"

Hitomi laughed. "What are you so exhausted for? You didn't go find some shirtless Fanelian man to be really, really nice to, did you?"

"Unfortunately, no. I found a shirtless Austurian man, though."

"Wha-... _Allen_?" Hitomi gasped, and her eyes grew large enough to nearly pop out of her head. "You didn't! No _way!_"

Merle sniffed. "I knew you'd have bad taste."

"Hey! He's pretty damn hot, you know! I mean, when he's not wearing that ridiculous uniform," Annie protested sharply, and Hitomi looked like she was going to fall over with shock. Annie rolled her eyes. "Oh, for the love of- before you go passing out, Tomi, nothing happened. I just went to go talk to him, and then Celena... had one of her fits. I just helped calm her down."

"Oh..." Hitomi breathed, but her thoughts whirled crazily. Why had Annie gone to talk to him? And why was Allen shirtless? And why-

A sharp knock on the door interrupted her thoughts, and a young servant entered the room and bowed.

"I am here to escort you to the gardens, my Ladies," he said to Hitomi and Annie, then turned to Merle. "The Chief Designers would like a word with you in the west sitting room, Lady Merle."

"Great," Merle groaned, already heading out the door. She paused briefly to glance back over her shoulder at Annie. "I hope you have a smooth journey home," she said, more graciously than Hitomi would've expected. Annie grinned at her.

"Good luck with the wedding plans. You need it with these two," she replied cheerfully. The cat rolled her eyes before disappearing around the doorway.

Hitomi felt that sick feeling settling into her stomach again, but plastered her best smile onto her face. Annie didn't seem fooled when she linked their arms as they followed the man out of the room.

"I know it sucks, babe. But I've got to go back," she whispered softly, and Hitomi nodded. Her throat was too thick with tears she refused to shed to be able to answer.

The heat of the morning sun hadn't yet burned through the haze hanging in the air, softening the edges of everything and making the world feel not quite real. Van already stood in a small, grassy clearing in the bushes and trees with the same energist that he'd once used to send Hitomi back to the Mystic Moon in his hand.

"Ready?" he asked, a hint of nervous trepidation coloring his voice that he wasn't able to hide. Annie rolled her eyes at him, obviously aware of just _why _he was nervous, before she gave Hitomi a quick, tight hug and shoved her towards him.

"Annie, wait-" Hitomi protested even as she reached out to take Van's empty hand. Annie merely wrinkled her nose at her.

"Go on, go on. I don't want snot on my shoulder again."

Hitomi laughed weakly just as Allen strode hurriedly into the clearing, looking uncharacteristically grim and disheveled. Annie turned to look at him while Van bent his head to whisper to Hitomi.

"How's Celena?" she asked him quietly. He sighed heavily and ran a hand over his tired face.

"Sleeping, finally. She'll probably rest for most of the day."

She peered at him, a tiny frown marring her forehead. "You should be sleeping, too."

"So should you," he reminded her gently, and she shrugged with a tiny grin.

"Ach, sleep's over-rated. Besides, I'm heading back to civilization in just a few minutes."

Allen frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. "And just what do you mean by heading back to _civilization_?" he asked irritably.

"_Coffee_, dude. Earth has coffee. Which automatically makes it about a hundred times more civilized than here," she explained seriously.

"That is completely ridiculous-"

"Going to spend your last few minutes together arguing, eh?" Dryden suddenly piped up, making them both jump when he appeared seemingly out of no where. He gave them a broad, innocent grin. "Now if I didn't know better, I'd swear you two were married."

"Dryden! Come to say goodbye?" Annie exclaimed happily while Allen turned a funny shade of purple and glared at him.

"Actually, I came to beg you to stay," he replied, taking her arm and threading it through his. "This shindig is going to be dreadfully dull without you, my dear."

"Are you kidding? Watching Van and Tomi being forced to be publicly lovey-dovey? Dull would not be how I'd describe that."

"Hey!" Hitomi interjected indignantly.

"Well, there is always that," Dryden conceded. "I supposed I shall just have to console myself with amusement at their expense."

He winked at Annie before cornering the ornery lovebirds to grill them intently on just how they planned on creating a pillar of light. Annie shook her head with a small laugh before turning back to Allen.

"Well, then. I guess this is goodbye," she said after a moment, pasting on a cheerful smile in an attempt to cover the strange awkwardness permeating the air around them. Allen managed to nod stiffly, struggling with himself. She took a deep breath, smiled even brighter than before, and grasped his hand to give it a mighty shake.

"Alright. Goodbye," she said abruptly, and dropped his hand like a heavy weight.

Allen merely stared at her, right past the cheery smile to her deep, liquid brown eyes that told him something else entirely. His hand shot out to grab her arm as she turned away.

"Annie, don't-"

Don't what? Don't forget me? _Don't leave me? _She blinked at him, her expressive eyes full of swirling emotions he couldn't even begin to comprehend, and his hand dropped away from her arm.

"Thank you for helping my sister," he said stiffly, formally, and she pasted that fake grin back on to her face and nodded.

"My pleasure, Al."

She turned back to face Hitomi and Van before he could say another word, and he balled up his fists and let her go.

"You're not going to drop me in the middle of Uganda or something, are you?" Annie asked Hitomi skeptically. "Not that it wouldn't be interesting and all, but I've had enough of a 'vacation'."

Hitomi forced a smile. "No- we're going to try to send you to Aunt Vera's house. That's okay, right?"

"That's _excellent_. She makes her coffee the _right _way."

"What way is that?" Dryden asked curiously.

Annie grinned with a dreamy expression on her face. "Strong enough to chew."

"I pity anyone in that house if she gives you a cup," Allen muttered under his breath, and she shot him a dirty look.

"Okay, so all I've got to do is just stand here and you guys do your voodoo, right?" she asked, turning back to Hitomi and Van yet again.

"That's the theory," Van replied. Next to him, Hitomi swallowed hard and blinked rapidly, trying to force away the tears that were threatening to spill down her cheeks at any moment.

"Annie, I-" she began, but the brunette cut her off with a wild flap of her hands.

"Stop it, Tomi! We've already said goodbye, like, five times!"

Hitomi gave a mighty sniff. "And I know how much you hate goodbyes."

"That's right. So... let's just get it over with, yeah?" Annie said, but the gentle sadness underlying her words took all the harshness out of it. Hitomi nodded.

"Yeah. Ready, Van?"

He nodded back and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. She wondered fleetingly at the momentary look of relief that slid across his face, but then he raised the energist, and it was time to focus.

All around them, the sounds of morning life in Fanelia began to permeate the peaceful silence. A slight breeze ruffled their hair, and Dryden shifted from foot to foot restlessly. Van lowered the energist and cracked an eye open to look at it.

Annie quirked an eyebrow quizzically. "Uh, guys? Nothing's happening."

"Yes, thank you for pointing that out," Van growled irritably, glaring at the dormant energist like it was one of his councilmen giving him another sex-talk.

Hitomi chewed her bottom lip anxiously. "Maybe if we try the pendant and energist together...?"

"It's worth a shot," Van conceded with a heavy shrug. Hitomi took the thin chain in her hand, dangling the small pink stone in front of her tightly closed eyes and concentrated. Next to her, he did the same.

"Work. Please work. Send Annie home," she murmured pleadingly under her breath.

A moment later, both stones began to glow with a soft, pale light, and the air surrounding them came tinglingly alive with electricity. Hitomi smiled in relief and concentrated harder. The tingling intensified.

_**CRACK!**_

Hitomi and Van's eyes flew open at the sharp, echoing sound resounding through the quiet clearing, but Annie was no longer standing in front of them.

"What happened? Where's-" Hitomi began frantically, but a pained groan cut her off.

"Ooow. Shit, Al. You've got a really hard chest."

Shocked, Van, Hitomi, and Dryden turned simultaneously to the sound of Annie's voice, and saw her tangled up with Allen in a very undignified heap on the ground.

"Would you mind getting your elbow out of my ribs and getting off of me?" Allen wheezed out, struggling to catch his breath after apparently having the wind knocked painfully out of him. Annie obediently slid off of him and rubbed her forehead with a grimace.

"What the hell happened?" she asked loudly. "I thought I was on my way home, and suddenly I'm head-butting Al in the chest."

"I... I'm not sure..." Van replied dazedly, scratching his head in confusion as he stared at the two of them. A gasp from Hitomi snapped his head quickly around to look at her.

"The pendant, Van! Look at the pendant!"

The once luminous pink stone was cracked clear through the middle, and it's color was pale and faded. Hurriedly, Van held up the energist only to see the exact same thing. Broken. Useless. Dead.

Hitomi stared at him, her green eyes huge with panic. "What do we do now?"

"Want me to click my heels together three times?" Annie asked before lifting her feet in the air and doing exactly that. "There's no place like home... there's no place like home..."

"Annie, this is _serious_," Hitomi shrieked. "Don't you get it? We can't send you back! You're stuck here!"

"Well, yeah. But not _really _stuck, right? We'll just get another one of those energy thingies and try it again. Right? ..._Right?_"

"It doesn't.... it doesn't really work that way," Van stated, but his usually firm voice sounded uncertain. "It's only ever worked with one of these two, but now..."

"Oh," Annie breathed out. "Well, that... sucks."

"Annie, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry! I never thought that you'd... that we couldn't... How could this have happened?" Hitomi half-whispered despairingly, staring at the cracked pendant.

"Now, hold on a minute and let's all just think this over rationally," said Dryden as Allen stood up and dusted off his somewhat rumpled uniform. He reflected that it got like that with alarming frequency around Annie as he offered a hand to help her up. Surprisingly, she took it.

"Dryden's right. There has to be another way to call the light pillar," he stated confidently as he pulled her to her feet.

Van was unconvinced, but the hopeful light sparking in Hitomi's eyes made him nod in agreement as he took her hand. "Of course there is another way. We just have to figure it out," he told her reassuringly. The watery smile she gave him was more than reward enough.

"Annie, are you okay?" Allen asked quietly, and she blinked her big, brown eyes at him owlishly.

"Yeah... I'm good. I mean, it's not like I'm going to be stuck here forever or anything. There's probably something I'm supposed to do here, and then _poof_! I'll be back home again," she said, her natural cheerfulness already swinging back full force. Good gods, it seemed like she was taking it better than Hitomi!

"Hey, think of it this way, Tomi: now I'll be here to see your wedding, just like you wanted!" she told her, linking their arms together.

"Yes, but-"

"Hell, I'm starving. What do you Fanelians eat for breakfast, anyway? Don't tell me it's Yak liver or something," Annie cut in before Hitomi could say more than those two words, already walking back towards the castle.

"Yak liver?" asked Van, confused, as he followed hurriedly after them.

Dryden and Allen remained still and listened to the sound of Annie explaining what a Yak was fading off into the distance. It was only after they could no longer hear her that Allen turned to give Dryden an appraising look.

"You don't honestly believe that there is another way for us to send Annie home, do you?" he asked bluntly.

Dryden shrugged nonchalantly. "How should I know? The world is full of great mysteries. Women, for instance."

"Some more than others," Allen agreed darkly.

"Strange, though, how Annie was sent right to where you were in Austuria, instead of ending up in Fanelia with Hitomi, and then just now..." Dryden mused, stroking the stubble on his chin pensively.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Allen sharply.

"Just thinking out loud, my friend," he replied cheerfully, then gave the knight a hearty slap on the back. "Well, shall we? I can't wait to see the aftermath of this one!"

Frowning, Allen watched the merchant head toward the castle, gleefully rubbing his hands together in anticipation. He followed behind more slowly as he made a valiant effort to process what had just happened.

There was no way he could deny the deep current of joy and relief running through him at the thought that he did not have to face the prospect of Annie leaving, at least for now. But he could rationalize that, explain it away as just wanting her to stay because of his sister. Celena had already made drastic improvements, making more progress in the few days she'd known Annie than she had in almost six years. It was only natural that he wanted her to stay.

Right?

But what if... what if his wishing for her to stay on Gaea had, in fact, made her do just that? What if he was responsible for keeping her here?

The thought gnawed at him, almost as much as the fleeting glimpse of disbelieving terror in her eyes at the knowledge that she might never get home did. He swore, right then and there, that no matter what it took, he'd find a way to send her back to her family on the Mystic Moon. And until he did, he would do everything in his power to keep her safe and happy.

Of course, that didn't necessarily include keeping her safe from Merle.

The cat's voice had reached pain-inducing levels by the time he entered the breakfast room, and Annie appeared to be the only person there unfazed by it.

"You _broke _the light pillar? How did you manage to _break _it?" Merle screeched, making even Van, who was used to her temper tantrums, wince.

"Guess I'm talented," Annie replied nonchalantly. "Keep a lid on it, will ya, Kitty? I'm trying to eat here."

Merle's tail lashed against her sides and her eyes glittered with dangerous anger. Van raised his hands and tried to placate her before she attacked.

"Merle, calm down. This isn't Annie's fault, and we-"

"I don't care who's fault it is, Lord Van! Oh, gods, what are we going to do? This complicates _everything_," Merle moaned, sinking into her chair and burying her face in her hands in despair.

"How so?" Annie demanded disinterestedly. "There's going to be so many guests here, it won't be hard for me to blend into the crowd."

"Don't be silly. We can't let you just 'blend in'."

Annie frowned and narrowed her eyes at the cat suspiciously. "What do you mean by that, exactly?"

"Now that you're here, you're going to have to be a part of the ceremonies," Merle stated bluntly, like it was the most obvious conclusion in the world. Annie's chair scraped hard against the floor as she jumped to her feet.

"Wait just a minute, Miss Kitty! I'm not-"

But Merle was already rushing out of the room, muttering under her breath about rearranging seats and bringing in more dressmakers. Annie flung herself down in her chair and stabbed at the food on her plate like it was her mortal enemy- or perhaps a certain feline.

"If that cat thinks she can order me around, she's got another think coming. And maybe a boot up her ass for good measure," she grumbled darkly to herself. "You think it's a bad idea, too, Tomi. Don't you?"

Hitomi looked up at her and blinked in confusion. "I'm sorry... What did you say?" she asked distractedly. Annie just shook her head and mumbled for her to forget it.

Hitomi caught Van's piercingly perceptive gaze and looked away hastily while Eries attempted to start a polite conversation about possible ways of getting Annie back to the Mystic Moon. She wasn't sure if she wanted Van to figure out just what she was thinking about at that moment. She wasn't even sure herself what was going on inside her head.

Part of her- okay, most of her- was guiltily ecstatic that Annie hadn't been able to leave. And that right there showed her what a truly selfish person she was. On top of that, she couldn't shake the niggling worry that it was her doing that Annie was still sitting here in the breakfast room of Fanelia's royal castle.

Oh, she had tried to send her best friend home, she honestly had. But secretly, in the privacy of her own mind, she'd been wishing desperately for anything at all to stop Annie from leaving. And that wish, though unspoken, had been so much stronger than anything else she'd tried to make herself feel.

And just to make things even worse, a twinge of panic crept through her veins every time she thought about her broken pendant. Deep down, she now knew that she'd always considered it as an escape route, a way out if everything fell apart. If she and Van fell apart. If she couldn't hack it as royalty and needed to go... home.

Hitomi glanced up at Van through her lashes, studying his lean, tanned features surreptitiously. She needed him right now. She needed to be alone with him, to feel his strong, quiet presence chasing away her doubts and uncertainties.

But that just wasn't going to happen. Breakfast wasn't even half over when the dreaded maids came to collect her for her first round of fittings of the day. Millerna hopped up from the table with all the giddy excitement of a toddler with a new toy, but Annie stayed resolutely put.

"First of all, I'm not done eating yet," she argued reasonably, but there was a decided gleam of mischief growing in her eyes as she waved her fork carelessly. "Secondly, I really should go see Celena and tell her I'm stuck here for the time being, and third, there's no way in hell I'm going to make things that easy for the kitty."

"Annie, you may as well just go along with it. Merle's not going to give up on this," Van told her wearily, rubbing his temples.

"We'll see about that," Annie stated confidently. "Tomi, you can tell that cat if she wants to give me orders, she's got to find me first. It'll be like 'Where's Waldo', except in real life. And without the stupid hat."

Hitomi rolled her eyes, but she couldn't stop the giggle bubbling past her lips as the maids dragged her away. Unlike Van, she fully believed that Annie was going to give the poor cat-girl one hell of a time.

The day wore on long and tediously for Hitomi as she submitted yet again to being poked, prodded, primped, posed, and preened under the matching critical eyes of Millerna and Merle. This was one case that two heads were _definitely _not better than one.

At least she'd had entertainment in the form of Merle's futile search for Annie. The brunette, true to her word, had stayed elusive from the time Merle had personally marched back to the breakfast room to collect her until suppertime. Even Van looked vaguely amused at the furious death glares Merle directed at Annie's somewhat smug face across the dinner table.

She kept out of sight again after supper, and Merle escorted Hitomi and her maids to her room in a mighty huff. Hitomi didn't dare protest the lengthy beauty routine the women subjected her to under the cat's watchful eye, and for once, she didn't beg to be allowed to see Van, even though the desperate need for his reassurance had grown to frightening proportions. She heaved an enormous sigh of relief when the door finally closed behind them and she was finally alone.

But not for long. A quiet knock on her door sent her flying across the smooth floor to fling it open, hoping to see Van standing on the other side.

"Sorry. Not your lover-boy," Annie whispered as she slipped inside and shut the door silently behind her.

"Annie! Where the hell have you been all day?" Hitomi demanded, more sharply than she meant to from the aching disappointment in her chest.

"Visiting Celena- who was beyond ecstatic, by the way- and then I slept a little. Oh! And explored. But mostly, I was just avoiding Merle."

"You didn't get into any trouble exploring, did you?"

"Nope. I was a good girl, honest," Annie replied, plopping herself down on the bed. "Mostly, I just checked out the kitchens. I helped make the dinner for tonight, you know, to start learning how to use woodfire stoves."

Her words brought all of Hitomi's worries and guilt rushing back to the front of her mind, and she chewed on her bottom lip.

"Annie, I'm so, so sorry. I never meant for this to happen-"

"Don't, Tomi," she cut her off abruptly, suddenly sitting up and hunching her shoulders. "I don't wanna talk about it, okay?"

"But I... Annie, it's my fault!" Hitomi exclaimed, and Annie's brown eyes shot up to meet hers. "I wanted you to stay. I couldn't help it! I tried to send you home, honest I did, but I couldn't stop myself from wishing you would stay!"

"Tomi, Tomi, calm down," Annie insisted, giving Hitomi's shoulder a slight shake with one small hand. "It's _not _your fault. These things just... happen."

A few tears leaked out and ran down Hitomi's face. "But I wanted you to stay. The whole time, I just wanted you to be here with me. It's because of me you were brought here in the first place, and now, _now _you're stuck here!"

"We're _both_ stuck here," Annie reminded her, and more tears streamed down Hitomi's face. Annie gave her another shake. "C'mon now, babe. It doesn't matter if _you're _stuck, right? You've got Van!"

"But what if it doesn't work out?" Hitomi choked out on a sob.

"Oh, please. This is true love! 'And they lived happily ever after', remember?"

Hitomi sniffled and wiped her cheeks. "Why is it that you're the one comforting me? Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

"Maybe because I'm not that upset," Annie replied with a shrug. "Really, it's as much my fault as yours that I'm still here. I wanted to stay and see your wedding, too. Besides... Allen and Dryden are probably right. There's got to be more than one way to get me home."

"You really think so?" Hitomi asked hopefully, and Annie nodded.

"Of course. I betcha I get sent home right after you and Van are officially married."

Hitomi took her hand and squeezed it, but didn't say anything. The two of them sat silently for a long time, lost in their own thoughts until Annie suddenly leaned over to poke Hitomi's cheek with one finger.

"You know what you need?" she asked cheerfully. "You need to see Van."

"Yeah. But that's not gonna happen," Hitomi sighed ruefully, pouting.

"Wanna bet?" Annie asked, sparkling with mischief once more as she bounced off the bed. She winked broadly at Hitomi and slipped out of the room. After a moment, her singing drifted through the closed door, getting fainter as she went down the hallway:

"_In every life we have some trouble  
But when you worry, you make it double  
So don't worry. Be happy!"_

_

* * *

_Van found himself staring up at the balcony to Hitomi's rooms without a clear reason for why he was there at all. He just needed to see her, talk to her, make sure she was alright. The way she'd looked every time he saw her today- that mixture of guilty sadness and slight fear- tore at him. He wanted to see her smile again.

Okay, and the hormone-driven part of him wanted to see her in her nightdress, too.

"Penny for your thoughts..."

Van jumped and yanked his sword half-way out of its scabbard before he realized it was only Annie standing next to him with an enormous grin spread across her face.

"You know, it's not very safe to sneak up on someone who's armed with a sword," he grumbled as he irritably re-sheathed it. Annie blinked innocently.

"I didn't sneak up on you. I said your name a few times, even. Sooo... that makes me wonder just what you were thinking about, staring up at Tomi's rooms like that. I'm beginning to think your intentions may not be so honorable."

"What? Yes, they are! I wasn't thinking about... you've got a dirty mind, Annie!" Van spluttered uncomfortably, turning red in the ears.

She quirked an eyebrow at him. "Mm _hm_. So, why don't you just go up there and get it on?"

"That would be unacceptable and inappropriate," he replied stiffly. Even in his own ears, it sounded like a poor imitation of Allen at his worst, and he quailed under the withering glare Annie pinned him with.

"Just how do you propose I get up there, anyway? These walls are designed to be impossible to climb!" he added irritably.

"Are you joking? You'd better be joking!" Annie demanded. "You've got _wings_, don't you?" She scowled heavily at his dumbfounded look. "Idiot."

"Still, it would be wrong of me to-"

"Van, if you do not get your sorry ass up there right now, so help me, I will _castrate_ you."

Van gulped and took an automatic step back. There was no hint of joking laughter in her deadly serious voice, or in the narrowed glare she directed at him.

"Alright, alright! I'll go," he conceded in defeat, watching her warily. She looked marginally appeased when he turned back towards Hitomi's balcony, and he couldn't resist grumbling a little under his breath. "When Merle finds out about this and cancels the wedding, at least we'll know who to blame."

The snort Annie gave was both amusing and oddly intimidating. "_If _she finds out about this, she won't be canceling anything. I'll make damn sure of that. You just focus on having a good time tonight."

Van turned around to reply, his ears burning crimson, but Annie was already disappearing through the gardens, throwing a casual wave over her shoulder as she went. He heaved a sigh, rubbed a calloused hand over his face, and looked nervously up at the shadowed balcony.

Sure, Annie had sworn there was no one but Hitomi in her rooms, and sure, his hormones were demanding that he get his butt up there _this instant_ so he could see her- in her nightgown, which had the potential of being semi see through- but there were a whole lot of logical reasons why he _shouldn't _take the risk. And finding himself at the business end of Merle's claws was somewhere near the top of that list...

But on the other hand, he'd have to deal with _Annie _if he didn't sneak into Hitomi's rooms.

He honestly wasn't sure which one of the two was a scarier prospect.

Ah, to hell with it all, anyway. He wanted- no, _needed-_ to be close to Hitomi. Besides, Annie said she could deal with Merle, and that cat-fight was definitely one he'd pay to see, if only to find out who'd win.

The cool night breeze tickled his bare skin as he slipped his thin shirt quickly over his head. He took a deep, slow breath, feeling the familiar, tingling pressure building between his shoulder blades until his white feathered wings burst free. They lifted him easily from the ground, and he landed silently on the smooth wooden floor of the large balcony.

The sliding doors leading into Hitomi's rooms stood wide open to let the cool night air inside, and Van tentatively peeked through one into the dim interior. He could just make out her form sprawled across the bed, one bare leg dangling off the side onto the floor. He gulped audibly at the sight of that length of silky, tempting skin illuminated by the weak moonlight filtering through the open doors.

Hitomi jolted upright, suddenly aware that she wasn't alone, and gasped when she saw the unmistakable shape of Van's wings silhoutted against the moonlight. With no hesitation, she slipped out of bed and came towards him, totally uncaring that she was dressed only in a thin nightdress that barely reached her mid-thigh.

Van couldn't breath as he watched her move slowly through the dimly lit room in a silky gown that was every bit as see-through as he'd hoped, and a whole lot shorter than anything he'd dreamed of on top of it. He just stood there, unable to even utter a word when she'd reached him and stared up at him with those impossibly green, green eyes of hers.

"Van..." she breathed, and that was the end of his self-control.

His lean fingers gripped her hips, and he pulled her body tightly against him as his mouth, hot and insistent, covered hers. She gave a tiny gasp of surprise, and he used the opportunity to deepen the kiss. Her arms wound themselves around his neck so she could twist her fingers into his hair and press herself tighter against him.

The thin piece of silk between their chests did little to separate their skin. Van groaned at the feel of her small, firm breasts rubbing against his bare chest, and barely realized that one of his hands came up to push the little strap of her nightgown off her shoulder. Hitomi moaned as he gently tugged on the back of her hair to tilt her head back and trailed his lips down the sensitive skin of her throat to her bare shoulder.

Her own hands wandered down over his chest and fluttered across the chiseled muscles of his abdomen. It thrilled her to feel them tensing and quivering under her touch even as Van's eager, yet gentle, mouth ignited a fiery yearning in the core of her being.

She didn't even care when his fingers brushed the second strap off her shoulder, and the silky material of her nightgown slid smoothly down to her waist. Without hesitation, she straightened her arms to let it fall completely to the floor. The cool night breeze gently moving against her skin should have chilled her, but Van's heated fingers, his burning mouth, left such trails of red-hot desire that she wondered if she might suddenly spontaneously combust.

Skin moved on skin as Van propelled her slowly back into the dark half-light of her room. Hitomi barely registered the way his wings disappeared in a flurry of white feathers, barely noticed when her legs hit the mattress and the two of them toppled down together. There was no room for her to feel anything but the insistent, almost painful need in the way he carressed her.

And dear god, but he felt good!

Hitomi had no idea what had possessed him to show up on her balcony, but she sure as hell liked where things were headed. Van's fingers slid under the top of her underpants, heading toward areas he'd never explored before, and she arched into him with a tiny mewl of encouragement. Her own hands moved to fumble at the closure of his pants in a mindless response, and suddenly Van froze.

An unhappy whimper escaped her lips at the loss of his touch as he hastily pulled away from her and sat up. Flaming red from collarbone to hairline, he ran an agitated hand through his unruly hair and struggled to slow his breathing.

"I'm sorry, Hitomi. I shouldn't have- I mean, I didn't come here just to- dammit to hell!"

She stared at his back in complete disbelief for several long moments before she sat up and wrapped her arms around him from behind. Van's muscles immediately tensed up, and the breathing he'd been trying so desperately to get under control became erratic.

"I'm not exactly complaining..." she breathed into his ear before lightly brushing her lips against it. A little smile tugged at her mouth at the way he took a deep, hissing breath.

"Hitomi... I shouldn't be here. I just... needed to see you," he mumbled. She sighed and pressed her face into his neck.

"I needed to see you, too," she admitted. "Please stay. Just for a little while."

Van struggled to breathe in shallow, panting bursts. "But... we shouldn't- I mean, I shouldn't have been touching you like that..."

"What? Why?" Hitomi asked quickly, unhappy with how this conversation was going. She'd _liked _the way he'd touched her. She really, _really _liked it, actually.

Van really liked the way she was touching him now, all bare skin and trailing fingers, but he did his damnedest to fight against it. "_Because_. I don't want to- no, I _won't _disrespect you like that."

"Disrespect me? Van! We're going to be _married_ in less than two weeks!" she exclaimed, exasperated. Her arms loosened just enough that he could twist around to face her, and his deep maroon eyes stared intently into hers.

"Exactly. So until then, I won't allow my own weakness to... to defile you like that."

Hitomi marveled at her ability to maintain her composure and not burst into shrieks of laughter at that. It wouldn't really have been helpful, especially since Van was so very deadly serious about it, but good lord. His words were utterly absurd, especially given the fact that she was only in her bottom undergarment and very nearly sitting on his lap.

She could see by the set of his jaw that he wasn't going to bend on this, and honestly, if it was that important to him, she didn't want him too, anyway. But that didn't mean they couldn't do _anything_, did it?

"Okay," she told him gently. "Okay. We won't do any defiling-" a miniscule pause while she swallowed a giggle- "But you can still stay. Just for a little bit, alright? We'll be good. I promise. Just... just don't go yet."

She'd moved closer so she could wrap her arms around his neck and rest her forehead against his. Van squeezed his eyes shut tightly, his breaths once more harsh and uneven, but his lean, muscled arms snaked around her waist. His rough fingertips brushed against the sensitive skin of her back, her sides, and she gasped at the sensation.

"Alright. Just for a litle bit," Van mumbled just before he crashed their lips together once more. Hitomi smiled against his mouth and pressed herself closer to him eagerly.

They'd just have to be careful to wake up before Merle walked in on them in the morning.

* * *

Allen was not known for being indecisive. As a general rule, he always knew what needed to be done and the most effective way of going about it. So why was he repeatedly walking a few steps away from Annie's door, only to return and stand in front of it for another minute or so with his hand half-poised to knock?

He was on the seventh repetition of that exact scenario when a familiar voice piped up behind him.

"What are you doing, Al?"

Allen gave an audible gulp before reluctantly turning around to come face to face with an amused Annie. The quizzical way she quirked her eyebrows at him and the laughing smirk pulling at the edges of her mouth made him wonder uneasily just how long she'd been standing there watching him.

"I wasn't- that is, I was merely..." he realized he was babbling and took a steadying breath. "Are you alright?" he asked bluntly.

Annie's expression didn't falter for an instant. She looked as amused as ever, but Allen wasn't fooled. The gleam of laughter in her dark eyes was snuffed out like a candle in a sudden gust of wind.

"I'm fine. Why shouldn't I be?" she replied quickly, lightheartedly. He frowned.

"Because you're still here, perhaps? Because there's a chance you may never be able to return to the Mystic Moon? Annie, you don't need to pretend-"

"I'm not pretending!" she cut him off loudly. "I _will _get home. I'm probably just supposed to stay here to make sure no idiot screws anything up and Tomi and Van actually get married. You'll see. Once this wedding's over, I'll bet you anything that I'll be sent right home."

Her voice was determinedly cheerful, but Allen caught the hint of uncertainty underlying her words. Involuntarily, he started to reach one hand towards her.

"Annie-"

She sidestepped him quickly. "Man, what a crazy day. I'm gonna sleep like the dead."

"Annie-" he began again, more insistent this time, but she was already slipping through her door. She looked up at him once, and her cheerful expression was painfully at odds with the swirling, panicky look in her eyes.

"Maybe we could go to the market again or something tomorrow. 'Night, Al."

He opened his mouth to protest, but the door had already snapped shut in his face. One tightly fisted, gloved hand shot up in an automatic reaction, but he caught himself and froze. What was he going to do? Pound on her door and demand that she open up and talk to him? Barge into her room whether she wanted him to or not so he could try to give her the comfort she so obviously didn't want but so desperately needed?

Yeah. Because any of _that _would go over well.

Besides, what business was it of his if she wanted to go on pretending that everything was fine, that she actually believed she'd be suddenly sent back to her homeworld once Van and Hitomi were finally settled? Absolutely none, that's what.

But still...

The way her eyes simulatneously begged him to shut up and go away and yet to stay and somehow make everything alright haunted him.

Frustration clawed at him, twisted up with pain. There was nothing he could do. She'd shut the door on him, dismissed him, and he had no right to challenge that.

Still, it took him a long, long time to walk away from her door.


End file.
